What does the Bible say about those who keep the letter of the law?

I'll take Grace. Thank you.

_________________
Christiaan

Every day to the believer is one of Sabbath rest. We have ceased from our spiritual labor and are resting in the salvation of the Lord (Hebrews 4:9-11).

The following quote may surprise a good number who read it for varied reasons.

There were three reasons for giving this [fourth] commandment: First, with the seventh day of rest the Lord wished to give to the people of Israel an image of spiritual rest, whereby believers must cease from their own works in order to let the Lord work in them. Secondly, he wished that there be an established day in which believers might assemble in order to hear his Law and worship him. Thirdly, he willed that one day of rest be granted to servants and to those who live under the power of others so that they might have a relaxation from their labor. The latter, however, is rather an inferred than a principal reason.

As to the first reason, there is no doubt that it ceased in Christ; because he is the truth by the presence of which all images vanish. He is the reality at whose advent all shadows are abandoned. Hence St. Paul (Col. 2:17) that the sabbath has been a shadow of a reality yet to be. He, I say, is the true completion of the sabbath: "We are buried with him by baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life," (Rom.6:4). Hence, as the Apostle elsewhere says, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holiday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ," (Col.2:16,17); meaning by body the whole essence of the truth, as is well explained in that passage. And he declares elsewhere its truth when in the letter to the Romans, ch. 6:8, he teaches us that we are buried with Christ in order that by his death we may die to the corruption of our flesh. And this is not done in one day, but during all the course of our life, until altogether dead in our own selves, we may be filled with the life of God. Hence, superstitious observance of days must remain far from Christians.

The two last reasons, however, must not be numbered among the shadows of old. Rather, they are equally valid for all ages. Hence, though the sabbath is abrogated, it so happens among us that we still convene on certain days in order to hear the word of God, to break bread, and to offer public prayers; and, moreover, in order that some relaxation from their toil be given to servants and workingmen. As our human weakness does not allow such assemblies to meet every day, the day observed by the Jews has been taken away (as a good device for eliminating superstition) and another day has been destined to this use. This was necessary for securing and maintaining order and peace in the Church.

As the truth therefore was given to the Jews under a figure, so to us on the contrary truth is shown without shadows in order, first of all, that we meditate all our life on a perpetual sabbath from our works so that the Lord may operate in us by his spirit; secondly, in order that we observe the legitimate order of the Church for listening to the word of God, for admin-istering the sacraments, and for public prayers; thirdly, in order that we do not oppress inhumanly with work those who are subject to us. But the sum of what He says to us amounts to this: that the sabbath is a sign by which Israel might know that God is their sanctifier. If our sanctification consists in the mortification of our own will, the analogy between the external sign and the thing signified is most appropriate. We must rest entirely, in order that God may work in us; we must resign our own will, yield up our heart, and abandon all the lusts of the flesh. In short, we must desist from all the acts of our own mind, that God working in us, we may rest in him, as the Apostle also teaches (Heb.3:13; 4:3, 9).(From John Calvin's Institutes, ca. 1537)

Another couple of points on why we don’t keep the Sabbath as they did under Old Covenant.

Exodus 31:13-14 But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, “You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Therefore you are to observe the sabbath for it is holy to you.” The Sabbath was to be the one day of the week that they were to be totally set apart to God and not pursuing their own intersts and also we see here that the Sabbath was the OT picture of sanctification that would be fulfilled in the New Covenant. We see further evidence of this in Isaiah 58:13-14 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word, then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the height of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

In the promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:33 God says, “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it….” So we see here that in the new covenant that God will write His law in our heart and we know that the sabbath is part of that law. We keep the sabbath every day now as we are sanctied positionally, and through the power of His Spirit no longer seek our own ways, our own pleasure, our own word, but seek to please Him who died and rose again on our behalf, which is our progessive and practical sanctification. What man could not do under the Old Covenant God has done for us in the New Covenant. What a great salvation, what a complete salvation!

His rest which His people have entered into is not a day but a Person.The Person of the LORD Jesus.We are complete in Him. It is the promised faith-rest of Hebrews 4.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Jesus
(quoted from Matthew 11:28)

Hermanos,AMIGOS well CRIST gave testimonie of the father !! yes faith in the finished work of the cross,yes yes please forgive me CHRIST,but what after what kind of life am i to live???one that is in GOD's WILL the ten commandment are the covenant!!! if we belive in JESUS the messiah,,well lets live for him?? in obedience the wrath of god falls on the disobideint,yes,,as born agin christians are we to live as we want NO,,to me its born agin he's right im wrong,simpel do not confuse the ordenences,with codds commandments which are the same as christs,they are ther

_________________
willie sanchez

THEY ARE THER SO IT WILL GO WELL WITH US,READ DUTERONIMY AGIN he dont change brothers and sisters satan is the corrupt word like when he tried and failed to temp CHRIST with,,its the whole word not only what we like in our lifes,,and christ yoke is NOT hard...gods laws dont change what did chang were the ordinances the priest hood, please read and studie we will find that the first 5 books repet them selfs ,JESUS said in revelation those who obey my commandment.....i go to a sabbath keeping church,,not 7th day dont eat pork no more repent repent repent repent its in the book well i truly belive if we break the 4th all the othe r9 just follow,,exampel s abba th,has the name of the father,,1st commandment we break when we disobey and put another god sun god,insted of s abba th,then we make an idole knocks out #2we've made an idol out of sunday,we worship every day other than as we are commandede,,breakes#3 his name in vane,we steal from the congregation #5,and rome says its sunday not as the creator commandedwe lie#6,,ther for killing or family spiritualy #7etc etc lets obey our father and hollow his name..amen

_________________
willie sanchez

the letter of the law mentioned are the actual letters like saul had ,given him athority to kill the church persecution letters not gods commandments they are so ALL weill go well for us tyhat is th eletter of the law

_________________
willie sanchez

The Sabbath was given to the Jews and the Jewish proselytes only. The Gentiles were kept from the Sabbath upon punishment of death if they observed it. It was a specific covenant between God and Isreal. Especially now that the Lord of the Sabbath is come. Is He come, is He in you, Is He the Lord of the Sabbath now the Lord of our lives? He by Grace and Truth and the giving of the Holy Spirit in the believer to bring them to the Mind of Christ by teaching us all things pertaing to life and Godliness in Christ. "Christ in you the Hope of Glory", most certainly is our Sabbath. That is why we were given a testamony of not forsaking the assembling of our selves when the end draws near. This is not a Sabbath specific day.

John Gill speaks to this in his Bible Comentary;

"""Ex 31:16, "wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant; it is a sign between me and the children of Israel"; and not between him and the rest of the world: and in Ex 31:14, "ye shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy unto you": on which the Jews2 make this remark, עממין לכם ולא לשאר, "to you, and not to the rest of the nations": nor did they ever think that the Gentiles were obliged to observe their sabbath, only such who became proselytes to their religion; even those who were proselytes of righteousness: for a proselyte of the gate, was not bound to observe it; for so says3 Maimonides,

"those who take upon them the seven commandments of Noah only, lo! they are as a proselyte of the gate, and they are free to do work on the sabbath day for themselves, openly, as an Israelite on a common day.''

Yea, they not only say, they were not obliged to keep the sabbath, but that it was not lawful for them to observe it; and that it was even punishable with death them to regard it; for so they say4,

"a Gentile that keeps the sabbath before he is circumcised, is guilty of death, because it is not commanded him.''

They judged them unworthy of having this precept enjoined them, as being not men, but beasts, and worse than they, and had not the privilege the ass has: hence one of their commentators5 says,

"concerning the rest of an ass, thou (O Israelite!) art commanded; but concerning the rest of a Gentile, thou art not commanded.''

And not man for the sabbath; who was in being long before that was appointed and enjoined.""" end.

The Sabbath is now the completeness of the Law and Commandments and shadows of who the Sabbath was for. Jesus Christ gave His life for those the Father gives Him, and He is our fulfillment of the Sabbath shadow given to Isreal.

If we want to keep the Sabbath, then let us keep the new birth of the our Savior and Lord in us as our complete Rest and salvation, not the keeping of a day to specifically make us right with God, Christ in us has already done this on the Cross and our new birth. GRACE

In Christ, Our Sabbath and only REST: Phillip

Hebrews 3:10-14 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another ((((((((((daily,))))))))) while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

_________________
Phillip

brothers ,sisters,,,he dont change El,colossians 2 v16-17,is this the jews,after the crusifiction of christ ,then ,then claimed the CHRIST crucified was the son of GOD,and was of jewish decent[note]so they boasted he "CHRIST was of our clan"so you gentiles can not be like us jews,because the gentiles belived!!!amen,and they were being discriminated aginst,,sound familier so it is to them the gentiles the apostel is speaking to {new christians]that were being discriminated aginst,,they wanted to participate on the jewish way of liveing ie beliveing.....the fathe rdont change his day is the 7th,,please see isaiah 66,,we will celebrate the sabbath in heaven............enough said EL dont change,,belive it

_________________
willie sanchez

bigwillie.

Will someone go to Hell if they do not observe the 7th day Sabbath?

Thanks

_________________
Christiaan

Howeve I belive god forgives ignorance..when we don't know .however when we finaly do know..that is not ignorance to do the right thing..yes..then if sin is know to do what is right then...we will be judged by the word of god..period..just like grandad adam..and ther will be eternal consiquenses ..my friend I was liveing a life with no purpose/lost..I surrenderd to christ/god..he's right I'm wrong that's the best thing I've ever done!THAT S gotten me away from relijion.and in relationship with christ gods sacrafice for us..I lost it all..be he cristo has.is given me victory to live for him the word.not what other peopl say..but what the word.the book .holy spirit says see jn6v63..and like to think I'm a warrior for the truth who is forgiven much..much is he gratefull..please read.read the book..and fall in love with him

_________________
willie sanchez

bigwillie.

So Jesus is not the only way to salvation. Its Jesus and the sabbath?

It matters not what you believe, it matters what the Lord says. If we base our understanding on what we believe, then we make a god in our own image and our own liking, breaking the second commandment.

FYI, you did just that.

_________________
Christiaan