As I have pointed out several times before, we human beings aren’t generally given to deep thinking. That is why a Presbyterian youth dies a Presbyterian octogenarian. An Amish boy, develops into an Amish man. A Lutheran young lady, in all probability, will still be sitting in the pew of a Lutheran assembly when she collects her first Social Security check. Folks just don’t change their religious customs and beliefs. Sometimes a Roman Catholic will study and examine deeply enough that they leave the Roman Catholic fold, but even then they are generally unable to shake off all religious tradition and error and fail to really walk in the truth of scripture in toto.
Jesus Christ dogmatically declared that “He that is of God hears God’s words. You therefore hear them not, because you are not of God” (See John 8:47). One to whom God has imparted His Holy Spirit does not need to be argued into accepting what God says. There is no need for cajoling, wheedling, pleading with such a human mind as that mind is suffused or saturated with God’s own Spirit. One then becomes like-minded with God. Like Nipper, the dog that sits listening attentively to the old RCA phonograph horn, the child of God listens attentively to the Master’s voice. All other voices are stilled, shut out, no longer heard.
There is a most interesting account given in the 13th chapter of the Book of Acts that most Sabbath violators seem to overlook. It tells of a missionary visit made by Paul and Barnabas to the city of Antioch in Pisidia, “bur when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue (where Paul and Barnabas had reasoned with them out of the scriptures), the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them THE NEXT SABBATH.” (See verse 42, Acts 13). The very next verse says that Paul and Barnabas were “speaking to them to continue in the grace of God.” Since they were speaking of God’s grace, what an excellent opportunity to tell these Gentiles, “Hey, we don’t have to wait until another Sabbath! Tomorrow is Sunday, the new Lord’s Day. Let’s meet tomorrow!” But what does the inspired text say, “AND THE NEXT SABBATH DAY CAME ALMOST THE WHOLE CITY TOGETHER TO HEAR THE WORD OF GODl” (verse 44).
Then why does it say in Acts 20:7, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them?” Well, finish the verse, “Paul preached unto them ready to depart on the morrow…” Paul had been telling believers they would see his face no more, that when he left the area he would not return and he was leaving the very next day. (See verse 25). They would have gathered together to hear Paul preach one last time whatever the day, whether a Sunday, a Monday or a Thursday. Nothing in this text validates Sunday as a new sabbath. Nothing calls it “the Lord’s Day!” Those who refuse to hear God’s words read into this text something it does not say at all.
It is just like what the Roman Catholic priest does when reading John 20:23: “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” They believe this statement of Jesus Christ gave priests the authority to forgive Christians their sins. The text does not say that at all. Jesus isn’t speaking to any priests there. He is speaking to the disciples who had seen Him brutally beaten, spat upon and crucified. He knew they were, therefore going to have a most difficult time forgiving those who had so cruelly murdered Him. In order to assist them in coming to that state of mind and heart required in true forgiveness, He told them, “Fellows, if you don’t forgive them, I won’t forgive them either. If you do forgive them, I will forgive them also.”
God grant you the ability and mindset to really dig into the Word of God and come to a full understanding of what is actually revealed in the Holy Scriptures. But you must come to grips with the fact that you will definitely find yourself in a much smaller company of believers, but believers that love God more than they love life itself.
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley