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Faith

FAILURE TO REST

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For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

“So, I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest,’”

Hebrews 4:3

The story of Israel’s failure to enter into rest was preserved for future generations…for you and me.  Modern man and especially God’s church has a lot yet to learn about the importance of the Lord’s rest. 

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11

In that great book of Hebrews, Chapter 4, Paul gives believers momentous warnings and asks us to compare ourselves with ancient Israel to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes and fall short. Is the church in these last days repeating the same mistakes as Israel of not resting because of unbelief and therefore falling short?  Let us not spend a lot of time surmising that the experience of “belief” is to merely acknowledge doctrinal precepts about Jesus and going to church each week.  We are told that the devils believe (James 2:19).  Belief is more dynamic than we might think.

Failure to Believe

Paul outlines the deadly results of the Hebrews’ failure to enter into the rest God had provided. He then acknowledges to his readers that we “who have believed DO enter that rest.” So right away, we see a connection between belief and rest. But there is more.

The “belief” in Paul’s argument is not the kind of experience of the devils.  On the contrary, it is all about trusting God even when things look their bleakest, and we feel our weakness; or when we feel strong and confident!  It is trusting God against the influence of the world and traditions of people who appear as angels of light.    It is sad that a person can be a believer but still live outside God’s will.   Here is where Israel failed.  They believed in God’s existence, but they didn’t trust God’s promises to protect them from their enemies, and they became disobedient to God. 

The failure to trust God will always result in disobedience, excuses, and rationalization about sin, no matter how big or small the offense.

Author

  We live in a world where obedience and compliance are signs of weakness.  To the modern Christian obeying God’s law has been called legalism in some circles.  Somehow, we have been duped into thinking the Grace of God and faith is a license to disobey.  In our ignorance about God’s will and His requirement of obedience, we have gone so far as to say things like, “the law of God has been done away with.”  We can’t connect the dots between faith, belief, and obedience.

God’s Wrath and His Deadly Oath

Verse 3 of Hebrews 4 is an eye-opening statement.  Because of His wrath, God swears that the Israelites will not enter into His rest.  What has angered God so much that He makes an oath, a covenant, of prohibiting His people from entering into His rest?

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them.” Hebrews 4: 1,2

Did you catch that?  The good news (gospel) preached to you and me in 2022 was also preached to them (God’s people in the Old Testament)! The Good News of Jesus!  Image that!  How many of us think that the Old Testament did not contain the gospel about Jesus!  How wrong is that!  The sermons they received were not from notes of a preacher behind a podium, but it was taught through the experiences of great patriarchs of old AND daily from a School Master of priestly services.  This teacher was the ceremonial laws and services of types and ceremonies God instructed Moses to write down and then give to the people to follow.  If followed, it would teach them about Christ, God’s plan of salvation, and the experience of faith.  It was meant to change the heart and mind about the nature of God.  It was designed to build trust.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24

The death of an innocent lamb in the sanctuary services was probably the most explicit message of the substitutionary death of the sinless Son of God for our sins.  What great news of escape from the wages of sin and death for them and us at the expense of God the Father and Jesus Christ!

The daily services of the priest and sacrifices signified the earned work of Jesus on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary. It showed us his continual intermediation for all of us!

We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, Hebrews 8:1

Many other services had the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They all taught the good news of grace, forgiveness, atonement, and mercy.  Those services were “shadows” pointing forward to the nature of Christ and His coming as the sacrificial lamb of God (Hebrews 10:1).

But sadly, the gospel “did not profit them.”  It did them no good because they could not find in themselves the desire to trust and obey God.  Yes, they were somewhat faithful to follow the forms and ceremonies, but their heart was somewhere other than on the God who rescued them. 

They wanted to be like the other nations.  So, they began to break God’s eternal law of ten commandments willfully.  They had other Gods; they rationalized away others.  They put heavy burdens on the one law meant to give rest (The Sabbath commandment). This angered God, and as a result, they failed to enter into His rest.  What is this rest?  Why is it so important?  How does it apply to the modern believer?

Without Faith, God is Not Pleased

But without faith, it is impossible to please Him…Hebrews 11:6

Like the Hebrews of old, many people fail to enter into God’s rest because of unbelief or lack of faith (aka trust).  The people of God believed in the existence of their God, but they did not have faith or trust in Him.  Their actions proved they did not trust Him.  God had made many promises, but they simply did not trust God to perform what He said He would do. 

James understood the connection of works (actions) with faith.  These “works” are undeniable proof that absolute trust is in the believer’s heart and not merely lip service.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18

Often, we read this passage from James and think that “works” are good deeds.  But, in the context of the book of James, works are equated with belief (trust) and obedience to God’s will as found in the ten commandments.

Abraham’s Faith and Obedience.  

And the Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. James 2: 23, 24

How was Abraham’s belief signified?  It was not lip-service, but it contained action or obedience.  The writer of Hebrews tells us:

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 8:11

Here again, we see the connection between faith and obedience (works).

Now we can see the problem with Israel; They failed to grasp that faith and trust are the same things, and genuine faith will result in corresponding actions of obedience to God’s word.  Although they had plenty of proof that God would keep His promises, they let other things of disbelief rule their life.  This did not give them rest in their hearts nor from their enemies.  Here is the nature of their problem.  Their lack of faith led to disobedience, and they did not enter into the promised rest.

“…those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience.” 

Hebrews 4:6

Paul’s Argument for Rest

Paul begins to compare the works of God at creation.  And He compares His rest on the seventh day as a model for us.  Interestingly, the first 24 hours of Adam and Eve were spent in “rest.”  This could not be rest as we think of it, i.e., taking a nap. Why would Adam and Eve be physically tired?  God does not tire; He doesn’t sleep.  This “rest” of God was the rest of the relationship.  God set aside weekly time for his creation to have a date with Him.  To this day, it gives you an invitation of time for complete attention to a relationship with your creator.  “The Sabbath was made for man,” But the jews made it into something else…a religious requirement for God’s acceptance. To this day, many think about the Sabbath in legalistic terms like this, but the Sabbath is all amount relationship and faith if “remembered” correctly.

 Although the work of creation didn’t make God tired, it didn’t allow dedicated time for a relationship with His creation.  There may have been no need for the Sabbath had there been no humans made in His image.

“…although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Hebrews 4: 3-5

Paul partially quotes the “certain place” mentioned here and references the creation story and the seventh day in Genesis. Probably because his audience knew these passages well.  The entire wording is:

And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2,3

Then Paul quotes from another “place” or passage of Scripture.  This time it is from David in the Psalms.

“So, I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Psalm 95:11

Paul compares the “rest” God desires for the benefit of His people of ceasing from their labors on the seventh-day Sabbath.  Right away, we should notice three main points in Paul’s argument regarding rest.  

1.) Jesus, our Creator (See John 1), rested from His work. He is our example of rest. We don’t see Jesus taking naps on the Sabbath; we see Him going about the work of salvation.  If we follow his example, it is less about physical rest and more about focusing on a relationship with Him through service.  For it to become a “do nothing” day is not the spirit of the Sabbath.

2.) God blessed the seventh day for a reason. The seventh day is blessed and sanctified (set aside) by God Himself as a witness to His creative powers and the concept of spiritual rest.  Every Sabbath testifies that God made the heavens and earth.  This should have an impact on evolutionary thinking.  There is no reason for an astronomical-related seven-day week other than the fact that God made the cycle of six days of work and one day of rest.  The process always begins, as with the example of the creation week, with the first day and ends with the seventh day.  Therefore, the cycle of work and then rest is not a day of our choosing, reasoning, or convenience but the one God blessed and sanctified at the beginning for all mankind.

“…Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it…Genesis 2:3

3.)  Those who fail to enter His rest are because of unbelief and disobedience.  This Israel did when they disobeyed God and followed “strange gods.”

God desires to give His people rest that is physical, spiritual, and also a testimony.  The gift of the Sabbath rest, planted in the heart of the Ten Commandments, demonstrates that they trust God.  Keeping the Sabbath made no sense to the world because they didn’t acknowledge God as Creator. Since God is the Creator, He knows how crucial physical rest can be.  Why do Christians fail to believe that God desires His people to prosper and be in health even as the soul prospers? 3 John 1:2

Jesus is the rest we need, both physically, spiritually, and as a testimony.  Jesus used Sabbath language when he said,


Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

He can give both physical and spiritual rest because He was the one who claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath.

And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:5

Israel’s Failure to Trust God

The literal and spiritual rest God wanted for Israel was to have their own land and to live peaceable lives. This rest was to testify to their loyalty to the true (and only) Creator God.  If they obeyed God, it would demonstrate the power of obedience and faith in the living God to the world.  By obedience to Him, they would be a stark contrast to the rest of the world. They would bring a knowledge of the only true God even to the Gentiles.

“Arise, shine, for your light, has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth.

 And thick darkness over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you,

 and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light

and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60: 1-3

But Israel failed to enter into this rest!  God brought them to the borders of the promised land and desired to end their wandering in the desert; God was ready to give the land promised them and rest from their enemies:

See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and their descendants after them.” Deuteronomy 1:8

At God’s direction, the people left Horeb and reached the hill country at Kadesh Barnea.  Again, God tells them to take the land as He had promised and not be afraid or discouraged by what they see!

“See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 1:21

 But the people said, “hold on.  What is the hurry?”  Instead of believing God and moving forward as God directed, they wanted to spy out the land, so they came up with the idea to send spies to scope out the land. 

“Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” Deuteronomy 1:22

Like today, we think forming a committee to determine the “route we are to take” is very practical.  But, instead of moving forward at the Lord’s command by faith and what He has already assured us, we look for human ways to move forward. 

Moses sent spies into the land as they requested.  All but two spies (Joshua and Caleb) gave stories that created fear and doubt in the people’s minds. This should be a clear message to leaders in the church today.  Messages should be one of faith and trusting God.  If God says to move forward, spies are not needed.  Joshua’s message was the right one,

“…do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” Number 14:9

Here at Kadesh Barnea, the people rebelled against God because of a lack of trust in Him and His word.  They went so far as to accuse God of hating them and seeking a way to destroy them!

But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than us; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’” Deuteronomy 1: 26-28

Because of this rebellion, God took away the promised rest because they failed to trust and obey Him. 

When the Lord heard what you said, He was angry and solemnly swore: “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 

Deuteronomy 1:34, 35

But here is where they made another mistake.  When they heard that they were not going to “see the good land,” they decided to move forward as God had said originally.  But it was too late.  They moved without the blessing or command of God.

“We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. Deuteronomy 1:41

They assumed God would support their works, their fight, and be with them.  The Lord told them not to go and gave them a promise of defeat.  But they went anyway.

But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight because I will not be with you. Your enemies will defeat you. You rebelled against the Lord’s command, and in your arrogance, you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down Deuteronomy 1: 42-44

Israel had failed to hear and obey God.  They were fearful and afraid because they did not trust in the command and promises of God.  They didn’t believe God. Some of God’s people kept their faith and trusted God.  A list of these can be found in Hebrews 11.  But even those of faith could see further than just land on this earth.  They looked to the heavenly land.  They have not received this promise to this date because the ultimate promise is heaven, not a piece of land on earth.

 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them , and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth…. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11: 13,16

Looking back at this story, meant for us, what can we learn?  What is the rest we are to enter?  Is there a land promised to us to free us from our enemies…to be safe…to have a relationship with Jesus after all the work has been completed?  Yes! As mentioned above in Hebrews 11:13, it is a heavenly country

The promises of God were canceled by those who did not trust God…those with unbelief. They trusted in their own efforts and did not take God at His word. Paul brings us to a conclusion:

Israel and Us-Rest or Not?

Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a particular day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God.  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Hebrews 4: 6-9

The conclusion of the story of Israel, who failed to enter into rest, is very perplexing to the modern follower of God.  These phrases confuse us because we don’t want to hear what we think we are hearing. 

“Since therefore it remains that some must enter it.” (Some of us have not entered God’s rest). Like Israel, our unbelief or lack of faith keeps us from rest.

Some will not enter into God’s rest from their enemies “because of disobedience.”

We can talk about grace, mercy, faith, and eternal security all day long, but if some of us disobey God, we will not enter into the land promised by God. 

He designates a particular day.  Paul connects this phrase with what David said in Psalm 95:8

We are asked to “not harden our hearts.” We are to” hear His voice”!

For if Joshua (Jesus) had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.

Hebrews 4:8

Moses brought them to the borders of the promised land, but it took Joshua (Jesus) to lead a new generation into the promised land finally.  Moses represents the law that can bring conviction of sin, but faith in Jesus completes the trip into the promised land.   

We are confused because of our eerily similar failures.   We stand on the border looking at the land promised to us (heavenly).  We are much like Israel, which failed to move forward because of unbelief.  We don’t trust God.  We don’t have faith in His promises.  We don’t have a testimony to the world.

We think the Sabbath commandment is legalistic and only for the Jews, while the other nine do not fall into that category.  Why?  It is because resting in God is not convenient and misunderstood.  It cuts across the tradition of the church. It threatens the modern church.  God says, “Remember.”  The church says to forget.  The commandment says the seventh day; the church says the first day.  

Tradition, routine, and the works of our hands constrict our trust.  We say we trust God, but our actions speak otherwise.  When God tells us something in scripture that cuts across tradition and feelings, we balk.  We form committees to discuss the “route we should take” instead of listening to the simple command to “hear His voice.”  When God says go, and we wait, we miss the opportunity to be empowered by God’s Spirit and His promises of victory.

The story of God’s salvation, the gospel, and what Paul wants us to hear does not profit us if we fail to trust God and move forward at His command.  Our testimony is of no effect if we are like the other nations around us. 

But if we can find rest in Jesus both physically and spiritually, a testimony of our belief will shine.  “Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God Hebrews 4:9 NIV

Is This True?, The Law of God

ONLY NINE COMMANDMENTS “BROUGHT OVER?”

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Living in the Bible Belt, I hear things that don’t ring true. Statements from the pulpit and the radio compel me to verify from the Bible. I once heard a preacher say, “Jesus taught more about hell than heaven.” After detailed research, I found this to be completely false. The results of the comprehensive work can be found at this link:

Did Jesus Really Teach More About Hell Than Heaven

Luke, the writer of Acts, described a group of people who verified from Scripture statements from Paul and Silas. They were the “Fact Checker” or “Snopes” of the time!

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.. Acts 17:11 (NIV)

The followers of Jesus, as a witness, need more people like this who “live not by bread along but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”. There would likely be less schisms in our midst and we would come to know more truth about Jesus which would lead to more real faith based on the word of God.

Recently I heard a pastor on American Family Radio say these exact words: “Only nine of the commandments were brought over in the New Testament.” I had heard this before and ignored, but I could not let it ride any longer.

First, I had to understand what “brought over” meant? This is a vague statement. It must mean one of the following:

1.) Repeated in the New Testament from the Old Testament with actual verbiage as in a list.

2.) Scattered in the New Testament with exact or verbiage close to what was said in the Old Testament and/or

3.) An example or demonstration through Jesus

A List?

It is true, that the list of the Ten Commandments as found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 can not be found in the New Testament. So in this case, all of the Ten Commandments are not brought over. Does that mean as a New Testament Christian, I am free to break any of them as I desire? Of course not!

Let’s take the first commandment as an example:

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7 (KJ).

This commandment does not appear, anywhere in the New Testament. But, there are allusions to it. Example:

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money).” Luke 16:13 KJ

The same goes for the second commandment:

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,  but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20: 4-6 (KJ)

Again this commandment is not repeated in the New Testament. I researched the two main words (image and bow) using Strong’s exhaustive concordances in the King James versions and found that the word” bow” is used four times in the New Testament but not once is it used in reference to the Ten Commandments. However, it is used in reference to bowing to Jesus twice. For example:

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Romans 14:11 (KJ) (Note: the “It is written” phrase points us back to the Old Testament writer Isaiah who originally made this point about Jesus. See Isaiah 45:23.)

Praise God for this fact. The only person who is worthy to have worship through bowing is Jesus Christ. But, the context of making an image and bowing down to it is not found in the New Testament?

Why? Because the habit of making things with their own hands and then bowing down to worship them was the downfall of Israel many times as recorded often in the Old Testament. The golden calf is a great example (See Exodus 32).

A new testament version of violating this commandment can be found in the Catholic church where images of “saints” including Mary are standing while the sinner bows and prays to the image and asks for help or forgiveness. This is a pagan tradition brought into the church hundreds of years ago.

Did you notice in this second commandment the phrase: “showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20: 6 (KJ)

Embedded in this commandment is the reason for obeying ALL of God’s commandments, “love.” The “thousand generations” is not a finite number that ends at one thousand and one, but is a Hebrew’s way of saying “every generation.”

Jesus’ said the same thing about the connection of love for God and obedience to the commandments!

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15

Someone will say, “well this is Jesus’ commandments. It is not the ten commandments.”

Without a doubt, Jesus did not negate all the ten commandments, but rather expanded on them to show how sin is from the heart and the letter. A prophecy concerning the coming Messiah said this,

The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. Isaiah 42:21 (KJ)

It does not say he came to destroy, but to fulfill (acutally do them). This we will expand more below.

Now let’s move to the third commandment:

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Exodus 20:7

Again, this commandment is not repeated in the New Testament verbatim. If fact, the two keywords “name” and “vain” are not found together in the New Testament. The Hebrew word for “vain” is shav’. It is used 53 times in the Old Testament. It means primarily “empty.” In our day, we have translated only part of the true meaning limiting to the phrase God damn (Sorry for the directness). But, whenever, we use God’s in a meaningless empty way, we show great disrespect for our Creation. A perfect example is saying “Jesus” as an exclamation point. Often, you will hear someone say, “Jesus! Why did you do that?” When I watch a movie and someone says that, I turn the channel as well as the traditional curse word using God’s name in a derogatory way.

Now we come to the fourth commandment. This is the one that modern preachers want to say did not come over. Why? Because this commandment cuts across tradition and the convenience of modern society.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20: 8-11

Like the others described above, this one does not appear in the exact words. However, the keyword “Sabbath” is found more in the New Testament than the keywords of the first three commandments: 55 times! By contrast, the 1st Day of the week is found only 9 times. Only two verses about the 1st Day of the week have any semblance to worship and church.

Notice the 4th commandment does not say anything about worship or which day you go to church. It is primarily about resting yourself and your household by treating this blessed day differently. This commandment is not a “thou shalt not,” but a “Remember”

This commandment is a problem for the reader. Most churches can agree that obeying the first three is not legalistic (unless we claim it for righteousness and salvation) and is expected from God. But the fourth commandment is something altogether different. All kinds of attempts to dismiss it through nailing it to the cross, claiming it was for the Jews only, claiming it is not limited to a certain day and making your own day holy and a rest day. Legalism is claimed if you want to follow it even though legalism is not claimed if you want to follow any of the others.

So in conclusion none of the first four commandments can be found in the exact verbiage in the New Testament nor are they actively taught separately but as a whole. Using the assumed logic of the preacher who said “only nine of the ten commandments are brought over in the New Testament” we can say that only six of the commandments are “brought” over. This is without studying the last six commandments. But even that is not true! Why?

The Ten Commandments (as a Group) ARE Taught in the New Testament:

Teachings about the law and commandments as a group are made in many places in the New Testament. There is never an indication that only nine or six are valid or *”binding” on the New Testament Christian. (Note: Be careful in your study that you don’t confuse the eternal Ten Commandments with temporary sacrificial laws and ceremonial laws that ended when Jesus died on the cross. They were a “School Master” meant to teach about the sacrifice and character of Jesus. Always read in the context of the book, chapter, and overall context of the topic).

For example, in James, he cautions us as follows:

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  James 2: 10-12

Eight of the other ten commandments are left out here. That does not make them any less important. It is reasonable to assume the “whole law” is inclusive of all Ten Commandments.

Jesus grouped all Ten Commandments under two great principals of love for God and love for our neighbor:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22: 36-40

The first four commandments fall under the grouping of love for God. For example: If you love only Him, you will not have any other gods, take His name in vain, et.c

The last six are grouped under “loving your neighbor as yourself.” Again, the example is that if you love your neighbor, you will” do unto them as you would yourself” by not stealing, lying, coveting their wife, etc.

Jesus Did Not Eliminate Even One of the Commandments

The words of Jesus could not be clearer:

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 

We still have heaven and earth, so nothing has changed in the law. Some will try to claim by fulfilling, both the Law or the Prophets, that they are no longer meaningful for the New Testament Christian, but let’s let Jesus speak for Himself:

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5: 17-19

Now I don’t know which of the commandments are “the least,” but it is clear that Jesus didn’t come to change one little letter (jot) or one little stroke of a letter (tittle) from the law contained in the Ten Commandments. So this is the entire Ten Commandments as a group. No indication of only nine being “brought over.”

Jesus’ Disciples Do Not Claim That Any of The Ten Commandments were Eliminated or Changed by Jesus

We have already seen from James that the law is a group, when he refers to the “whole law.” John is even more adamant about the commandments of God:


He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2: 4

Some might be tempted to say these are the commandments of Jesus which is different from the Ten Commandments, but these words from the disciples indicate clearly that Jesus did not have a different set of laws by which the Christian should go by:

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. 1 John 2: 6,7

Paul made it clear that faith does not replace the law. It establishes it:

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. Romans 3:31

This passage comes as a clarification of his Paul’s argument in the previous verses. This argument is very important to understand, lest a person becomes legalistic. Obedience to the Ten Commandments is not a path to salvation. It cannot give a person righteousness. Obedience is a result or evidence of salvation through the faith God provides:

…the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3: 21-23

All of us have sinned (broken the law of God) in the letter and the spirit. So how could we possibly make ourselves righteous by obeying the letter or even the spirit of the law? It is impossible, but this does not eliminate the law as our standard for living the Christian life. It is still sinning to transgress any of God’s Ten Commandment law either by the letter or the spirit of the law.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4

Jesus Lived a Life in Obedience to the Ten Commandments and the Sprit of Them As Our Example.

We cannot go wrong if we “walk” as did Jesus. He set the example whether we are a Jew or Gentile. It was prophesied of Jesus that He would expand the law and make it honorable:

The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable. Isaiah 42:21

How did He do it? First of all, He honored it and lived by its principals and the spirit. But listen how he magnifies or expands on the law:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  Matthew 5:21, 22

Is it not clear that murder begins with anger? Jesus expanded the law to include what goes on in your mind which is the “heart.” The heart is a symbol of feelings and thoughts of the mind.

Jesus expanded the law regarding sex:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Matthew 5: 27-28

Jesus is not taking away from the law (nor the letter), He is magnifying it. He is making it clear that disobedience starts in the sinful mind. If a person is to live by the letter and the spirit, they must be born again in order to have a spiritual mind. If they do, they obey because they love God not with a legalistic mind, but a spiritual heart.

What if I told my wife I live only by the spirit of the law and not the letter. Then I went out and slept with every woman who was willing? How do you think she and God would feel? It is sin just as much as looking at a woman and wanting to have sex with her! You can’t live by the spirit and ignore the exactness of the commandment.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13

One Commandment is the Problem

The preacher who said only nine commandments that came over to the New Testament has a motive that is not Biblical. It is an attempt to rearrange or eliminate the fourth commandment. It is more than changing a jot or a tittle…it is modifying the entire commandment!

Jesus and the disciples set the example for “Remembering the Sabbath.” Sunday or the first day of the week is never described as the Sabbath.

Now let’s talk about The Lord’s day. This exact phrase is mentioned only once in the New Testament:


I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, Revelation 1: 10

This does not connect the first day of the week or Sunday with the phrase “The Lord’s Day.” But Jesus refers to Himself as Lord of the Sabbath! So the Sabbath is the Lord’s day, not Sunday or the first day of the week.


And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:5

It can be shown that it was Jesus at the burning bush and the mountain who gave Moses the Ten Commandments which includes the Sabbath commandment. So, yes, Jesus can claim to be Lord of the Sabbath! In that commandment, it is made clear which day belongs to the Lord and is therefore the Lord’s day.

the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. Exodus 20:10

It is here where many will try to claim that we don’t know which day is the seventh day. This has never been proven and is only an excuse. Additionally, there are attempts to show that the disciples changed the holiness of the Sabbath to the first day of the week by honoring the resurrection which occurred on the first day of the week. But the Bible is silent about such a transfer by letter or example.

Jesus example of remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy was not to ignore it but to clarifying what it meant. The Jews had assigned hundreds of rules one could not do on the Sabbath. Otherwise they would be working in violation to the words, “In it you shall do no work:” Exodus 20:10

They focused on work rather than rest in God that the day provides.

Jesus addresses this when he heals on the Sabbath:

 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Matthew 12: 9-12

He didn’t ignore the law, He clarified it and said something that is not in the commandment itself but is spiritual: “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” He should know, He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Examples of Obedience to the Sabbath in the New Testament

Jesus’ custom was to be in the Synagogue on the Sabbath.

:So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” Luke 4;16

Notice it was his custom…his habit…What are our habits? Are they Biblically based or are they based on tradition alone?

Paul had the same custom:


Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, Acts 17:2

If Paul was a “Sunday-keeper,” he missed a great opportunity to demonstrate this when he was in a gentile city (Antioch). Let’s read the story from the Bible:

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.” Acts 13: 14-15

Paul then gives a sermon in verses Verses 16-41

When the meeting broke up, the Gentiles wanted (in fact they begged) to hear the same sermon. They were very eager to hear this sermon.

So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath Acts 13:42

If Paul and his followers had started to meet on the first day of the week in honor of the resurrection that had occurred many years previously, he could have said, “We are meeting tomorrow. I will repeat the sermon for you then.” But he didn’t say this because Paul’s custom was to honor the sabbath. He was in the routine of ceasing work and being at rest with God for the entire day. He went about preaching and doing good on the Sabbath. Therefore, Paul persuaded them to wait until the next Sabbath.

Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. Acts 13: 43, 44

The whole city surely included Gentiles who were very eager to hear the exact sermon Paul had preached the week before. There was not likely room to meet in the synagogue of the Jews so they l met in the outdoors or a larger venue.

The point is, Paul’s custom was to honor the Sabbath. He didn’t even mention meeting on the first day when He had the perfect opportunity with a group of eager Gentiles.

In another documented example, Paul meets with a group of followers on the first day because he was leaving the next day. But this is not sufficient reason to show this was their normal day of worship or their “custom.’

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. Acts 20:7

This was more like a going-away meeting because Paul had a ship to catch the next day and he had so much to say that he preached even until midnight!

Keep in mind, the fourth commandment does not restrict worship to only the seventh-day. Rather it is asking us to “Remember” the day He rested and to keep it holy because He said it was holy. Sunday does not come with such a designation. True, Jesus was resurrected on the First Day of the week, but He died for our sins on the sixth day of the week. Neither the sixth day nor the first day of the week comes with an indication that the holiness of the seventh day is transferred.

Another time, Paul went to pray on the Sabbath alone with no Jews around and away from the synagoue.

And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Acts 16:13

Prayer and the Sabbath go together even though we are taught to pray all the time. Pay without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Sabbath Was Made For Man….

The Sabbath was not for Jews alone. Jesus said it was “made for man.”

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.: Mark 2:27

Indeed the Sabbath was made for man. The Sabbath was instituted long before there was a Jew or Israelite. Like marriage, the Sabbath was created in the Garden of Eden before the fall and to benefit mankind.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:3


For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11

Most people who have not entered into the rest of the Sabbath tend to look at this commandment as a burden or through legalistic eyes. Some see the observance of this commandment to be works and therefore not of faith. But this is a commandment that is an invitation to rest from works and find joy in the day God blessed and set aside to recharge our physical and spiritual batteries. Its emphasis on rest and not works is the centerpiece on the table of salvation by faith and not works. The Jews of old made it a burden and legalistic by placing man-made restriction on a day that should have been called a delight


“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight...Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,…The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58: 13-14

The joy of the Sabbath was brought over in the New Testament through the example of Jesus and His disciples. When God makes a new heaven and a new earth, the Sabbath will be the focus of the entire week and we will all come together on that day to worship.


And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord. Isaiah 66:23

In conclusion, the Sabbath is a commandment has not been changed by its Creator and therefore remains as an opportunity to rest in the Lord.

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest (notice “His rest),…For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works… For if  Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.  There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

Hebrews 4:1, 4, 8-10

His rest is the Sabbath! He ceased from his works as God did from His!” How clearer could this be that there is a Sabbath rest (the seventh day) for the people of God? That is me and you!

Jesus sabbatical invitation is found both in the fourth commandment and the words of Jesus who invites us to rest:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Are you weak and heavy laden? Come to Jesus. Jesus also invites you to enter the rest He offers in the ceasing of work on the Sabbath as commanded by God and given as an example by Jesus, the Disciples, and the word of God.

Yes the Sabbath was “brought over” to the New Testament! Probably more than any other commandment through the Word and example.

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*As a side note: I don’t like the word binding. It is a very legalistic, restrictive and negative term not used in the Bible in connection with the ten commandments. Using the Blue Bible exhaustive concordance, I found the word binding is used 5 times in the entire Bible, but not in connection to the Ten Commandments. The same can be said of the word bind, which is used 49 times, but never in connection with God’s law. The words “obedience” and “keep” are often used in connection with God’s law. Both of these are “love” responses to Jesus not a “binding” responsibility for salvation:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15