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THE PERPETUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LORD‘S DAY By Daniel A. Betters M.A.R., Reformed Theological Seminary, 2008 A Thesis Project Submitted to the Faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary, Virtual Campus in partial fulfillment for the degree of Masters of Arts and Religion At Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte, North Carolina January 2008 i Master of Arts, Missions Thesis Approval Sheet This thesis entitled THE PERPETUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LORD‘S DAY written by Daniel A. Betters submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS AND RELIGION has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the Faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary ________________________________________________ Committee Chairman _______________________________________________ Committee Member ________________________________________________ Committee Chairman _______________________________________________ Committee Member Date:___________________________________________ ABSTRACT The Perpetual Significance of the Lord‘s Day Rev. Daniel A. Betters ―The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.‖ Mark 2:27-28 (NIV) This project developed during my personal study for the ordination trials of the Presbyterian Church in America. I noticed that many candidates would take an exception to the Westminster Confession of Faith concerning the view on the Sabbath. Consequently, I began to wonder what my view would be concerning the Lord‘s Day. As I began to study the Scriptures concerning the Lord‘s Day I became more aware of the importance of the fourth commandment. I began to present my findings in my teaching and preaching opportunities. I found there was resistance to any observance of the Lord‘s Day in many church members for various reasons. I wondered if the church has a proper theological, scriptural and historical understanding of the Lord‘s Day. This work will address the Lord‘s Day in three main sections. The first section will address the Lord‘s Day from the Scriptures. What does the Old Testament reveal concerning God‘s intent for his people concerning this one day of the week? Does the coming of Jesus change the requirements of God? What do the Gospels and Epistles reveal to us concerning the Lord‘s Day and our obligations? The second section will examine historical observation and tradition concerning the Lord‘s Day. We will examine the early church fathers, the Middle Ages and the Reformation as well as the Puritanical and Sabbatarian views which have helped shape the modern day view of the Lord‘s Day. The third section will examine the theological implications of a perpetual observance of the Lord‘s Day, the eschatological significance of the Lord‘s Day and how that affects the observance of such a day. Finally, we will examine what the meaning of the Lord‘s Day is for God‘s people. To my wife, Laura, for her unending support, grace, love and perseverance. CONTENT Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………1 2. SCRIPTURAL MEANING OF THE SABBATH……………………………....6 The Sabbath in the Old Testament The Use of Haššabbāt Pre-Sinai Sabbath The Decalogue The Sabbath in the New Testament Jesus‘ view of the Sabbath Paul‘s view of the Sabbath Hebrews 4 A Change from the Seventh Day to the First Day Conclusion Concerning the Sabbath from a Scriptural Perspective 3. HISTORICAL VIEWS OF THE SABBATH………………………………….38 The Early Church Fathers through the Medieval Times Early Church Writings The Medieval Church The Reformers The Reformation Perspective John Calvin Martin Luther 17th through the 18th Century The Westminster Divines The Puritans 19th Century Hodge and Warfield 20th Century Modernism and Fundamentalism Conclusions from the Historical Study of the Sabbath vi 4. THEOLOGY IMPLICATIONS OF THE SABBATH…………………………72 A Creation Mandate The Moral Law The Eschatological Significance of the Lord‘s Day An Ethical View of the Lord‘s Day 5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………..96 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………100 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION In Genesis 2:1-2 God mandates the Sabbath as a day of rest for all mankind by his own example and his sanctifying the Sabbath Day. Several thousand years later God would write with His own hand the commandment to ―remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy‖ (Ex. 20:8).1 Yet there is no little debate today concerning the nature of the fourth commandment. There have been many attempts for many reasons to release men of the responsibility of the Sabbath commandment. The Church is in the midst of what some have called a post-modern age. It is difficult to find agreement on a universal definition of post modernism. Perhaps, Mark Driscoll puts it best when he defines post-modernism as the ―spiritual junk drawer‖ where every idea that seemingly has no answer is tucked away.2 Unfortunately, this ―junk drawer‖ is where many churches have stored the question of the perpetual nature of the fourth commandment. In this age of post modernism some might argue that the church would be more relevant to the changing culture if it were to relax its view of the Lord‘s Day. Of course this is no reason to abrogate God‘s Word. 1This work will use The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984), for Scriptural texts throughout unless otherwise noted. 2Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 161. 1 2 Others, such as the Dispensationalists argue that the Sabbath was relevant only for Israel and as a result the New Testament abrogated the Sabbath. Thus Gary G. Cohen writes concerning Paul in Romans 6:14, ―…not being ―under the law,‖ and being ―dead‖ to it takes the Christian out from under the Sabbath Commandment which was given to the nation Israel.‖3 However, God has given us Ten Commandments which are the summary of the moral law (Ex. 20:1-17, Deut. 5:6-21) and none of them have been abrogated. Jesus addressed this very issue in Matthew 5:17-19 when he said, ―Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.‖ According to Jesus, the New Testament does not retract the Sabbath observation that is commanded in the Decalogue but rather expands upon it. For the Christian, the spiritual blessings of the Old Testament Sabbath are realized in the New Testament Lord‘s Day. One of the greatest questions concerning the fourth commandment is whether or not the Sabbath has become the Lord‘s Day. There has been much theological discussion about Sabbath Day transference theology throughout Church history. This argument has much in common with the Reformed view of infant baptism‘s relationship to Old Testament circumcision. It is argued that the older, ancient forms made way for the new 3Gary G. Cohen, ―The Doctrine of the Sabbath in the Old and New Testaments,‖ Grace Journal, no. 6 (2002) : 13. 3 forms which have much more of a spiritual, rather than temporal blessing. These blessings, according to transference theology were realized in the New Testament dispensation. To this end, transference theologians argue that the moral obligations of rest and worship that were commanded in the fourth word of the Decalogue are still binding to this day and are realized in the Lord‘s Day. In order to argue such a view, transference theologians argue that there is a distinction in Sabbath theology concerning moral, ceremonial and judicial laws. They argue that the ceremonial and judicial laws that were distinctly given for Israel have been abrogated as Jesus has fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. The question that arises with this type of theology is what the fourth commandment continues to require and what specifically has been abrogated. There are many sides to transference theology. Some would argue that the perpetual nature of the Sabbath only requires worship and that rest, although a good idea is no longer a part of the moral law. Others would argue that believers are to rest so that they can worship. This work will investigate transference theology and the distinctions that are made between the ceremonial, judicial and moral aspects of the fourth commandment. In order to discuss the perpetual nature of the Sabbath Day it must be determined if God did intend for it to be a part of the moral law. The Scriptures must reveal what God has intended for man concerning the Sabbath. It will also be prudent to examine the theology of some of the major thinkers of Church history to ascertain their theology of the Sabbath and compare and contrast them with the Word of God. Theologians have disagreed throughout history as to what the Sabbath means for God‘s people. Their 4 debates concerning the Sabbath and its relevance to the Church will help us understand how the Church arrived at the various positions we have today and will assist us in understanding our own orthodoxy and orthopraxy. A true understanding of the Lord‘s Day is necessary for the Church today. A biblical understanding helps the Church to experience a ―taste‖ of the ―not yet‖. It is true that Jesus Christ reigns over his Kingdom (Phil. 2:9-11), yet the Church awaits his return when he will come to judge the living and the dead according to all of their words, thoughts and deeds (I Corinth.
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