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Rome's Challenge (Part 1)
Article by StaffUsing only the Bible, there is no warrant in its pages for the change of the worship day from the seventh to the first. The people of God apart Saturday for the exclusive worship of God, in conformity with the positive command of God Himself, repeatedly reiterated in the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments, literally obeyed by the children of Israel for thousands of years, and endorsed by the teaching and practice of the Son of God whilst on earth. Per contra, Protestants of the world, with the same Bible as their sole infallible teacher, have rejected the day named for His worship by God and assumed a day never once referred to for that purpose in the Sacred Volume. The Redeemer, during His mortal life, never kept any other day than Saturday. The Gospels plainly evince this fact, whilst in the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Apocalypse, not the vestige of an act canceling the Saturday arrangement can be found. The Protestant world has been, from its infancy in the sixteenth century, in thorough accord with keeping holy not Saturday, but Sunday. If the arguments furnished by the Bible, prove incontrovertible, the great body of Protestants have no other recourse left than the admission that they have been teaching and practicing what is scripturally false for over three centuries. To add to the intensity of this blunder, it involves one of the most positive and emphatic commands of God to His servant, man: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Both sides appeal to the Bible as their infallible teacher, and the question remains whether Saturday or Sunday is the day enjoined by God.
Rome's Challenge (Part 2)
Article by StaffMost Christians assume that Sunday is the biblically approved day of worship. However, the Roman Catholic Church asserts that it transferred Christian worship from the biblical Sabbath, which is Saturday, to Sunday. It argues that attempting to claim this change is supported by the Bible is both dishonest and a denial of Catholic authority. If one bases teachings solely on the Bible, worship should occur on Saturday. The Catholic Mirror emphasized that unless one accepts the authority of the Catholic Church to designate the day of worship, the Christian should observe Saturday. The Bible, as the sole teacher of Protestant Christianity, teaches with absolute certainty that God Himself named Saturday as the day to be kept holy, as confirmed by the practice of His chosen people for thousands of years. In Genesis 2:2, it is written that on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Exodus 20 commands the seventh day to be kept because He rested on that day, blessing and sanctifying it. The Old Testament refers to the Sabbath one hundred and twenty-six times, consistently voicing the will of God to keep the seventh day as a perpetual covenant. The severe penalty for violating this command is evident in Exodus 31:14, where God declares that profaning the Sabbath shall result in death. Examining the New Testament, the Sabbath is mentioned sixty-one times, with the Saviour consistently teaching in synagogues and working miracles on Saturday. He refers to Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath, never hinting at a desire to change the day. His apostles and personal friends scrupulously observed Saturday even after His death, as seen in Luke 23:56, where they rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Sabbath is referenced eight times, always as Saturday, with no indication of a change. Thus, it is impossible to find in the New Testament any interference by the Saviour or His apostles with the original Sabbath, but rather an entire acquiescence and active participation in keeping Saturday as the holy day. Hence, the conclusion is inevitable that those who follow the Bible as their guide have the exclusive weight of evidence on their side, while the Biblical Protestant has no defense for substituting Sunday for Saturday.
Rome's Challenge (Part 4)
Article by StaffWe propose to investigate carefully the claim that God substituted Sunday for Saturday as the day of worship in the new law. Having examined texts in the New Testament under the title Sabbath, numbering sixty-one, and those referring to the first day of the week, numbering eight, we find no evidence of a change in God's will regarding His day of worship. We now turn to a third class of texts, often cited as evidence, which mention the day of the Lord or the Lord's day, to determine if they support this substitution. Each of the nine texts examined, from Acts to Revelation, refers unequivocally to the day of judgment, not to Sunday. For instance, Acts 2:20 speaks of cosmic signs before the great and notable day of the Lord, clearly indicating a future event of immense significance, not a weekly observance. Similarly, texts in Corinthians, Philippians, and II Peter consistently point to the day of judgment, with applications to Sunday being absurd and baseless. Revelation 1:10, where John mentions being in the Spirit on the Lord's day, aligns with the same meaning, as it relates to visions of future events in heaven, not a change in the day of worship. We have collected every available proof from the New Testament that could suggest a law canceling the Sabbath or substituting another day, and find none. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, records the will of God as enjoining Saturday to be kept holy, with no indication of a change. The history of Biblical Christians shows a glaring contradiction, as they have not observed the true Sabbath, which their divine Master and His apostles kept, while adopting a day not sanctioned by their sole teacher, the Bible. God's written word emphatically commands His worship to be observed on Saturday, with severe warnings against disobedience, yet this command is ignored by those who claim to follow the Bible alone.
Is It Salvational? (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeWhether a matter is salvational is the wrong question. There is a better question and another approach to evaluating matters that will put us on better footing.
So Little Respect
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)To human nature, following Christ or keeping the Sabbath is such a big obstacle that all kinds of twisted reasoning to avoid keeping God's commands.
Belief with Obedience
Sermon by John O. ReidCatholics and Protestants, because of lack of belief, do not find the Bible a sufficient guide to salvation. They claim to believe Christ, yet disobey.
The Commandments (Part Six)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughGod gave the Sabbath to His people so they can know Him intimately. Idolatry, scattering, and captivity are the natural consequences of Sabbath-breaking.
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Fourteen)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod has sanctified no day other than the Sabbath. Sunday worship is a pagan deviation, perpetuated by Gnosticism, a movement that despises God's laws.
Acts (Part Twenty-One)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe phrase 'first day of the week' is used 8 times in scripture, but none does away with the Sabbath nor establishes Sunday as the 'Lords Day.'
The Fourth Commandment (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath is a special creation, a very specific period of holy time given to all of mankind, reminding us that God created and is continuing to create.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe days, months, and times of Galatians 4:10 do not refer to God's Holy Days (which are not weak or beggarly), but to pagan rites the Galatians came out of.
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Thirteen)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe elect are not immune to antinomian deception, including the doctrine of eternal security, the total depravity of man, unconditional love, and cheap grace.
Hosea's Prophecy (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsHosea is an account of Israel's unfaithfulness to the covenant with God, and the redemptive work of God to rescue His unfaithful spouse from slavery.
Sanctification and Holiness (Part 5)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod gives conditions for acceptable sacrifices and offerings, differentiating the holy and authentic from the defiled, unclean and strange.