Lesson 6: The “Change” of the Law – Discussion starters
- The seventh day. Is it true that keeping the seventh-day Sabbath is not a requirement for salvation? Or, expressed another way, will Christians be saved for eternal life without honoring Sabbath as the correct day of worship? Will honoring the seventh-day Sabbath ever become a test of our dedication to God and His way to salvation? Will the Sabbath become even more important as the coming of Jesus approaches? If so, why?
- The promise. What is there about Romans 8:1 that makes this text stand out in describing God’s great love for us? Are the preceding verses in chapter 7 enough to make even the strong-hearted tremble in recognition of the power of temptation? If you never feel the force of temptation, is that a good sign? Why or why not? Paul feels pulled down by the body of death, but he finds release. How? What keeps faithful Christians from being condemned by sin?
- The law and sin. Does a stop sign on the highway keep us alive as we drive along? Read the first 14 verses of Romans 7. Do some Christians find strength from this passage to argue that the law is no longer in force? What does Paul mean when he says, “I would not have known sin except through the law”? If that’s what he means, couldn’t we get rid of sin by eliminating the law? Why not?
- From Sabbath to Sunday? Since we are surrounded by Christian groups who honor Sunday above all other days for worship, why not go along with that practice and make friends in the process? In John 20:19, 23 what does the meeting of the disciples in one place on Sunday have to do with making Sunday the holy day of the week? What about Acts 20:6-7? Didn’t the disciples gather to break bread on the first day of the week? Did the occasional practice of collecting funds on the first day somehow sanctify that day?
- The attempted change of the Sabbath. Why is Satan so intense in his desire to wipe out the Bible-based Sabbath? What role does worship play in the final crisis? Will worshipers be persecuted and even put to death by continuing to honor the seventh day Sabbath? Has that persecution already begun in some parts of the world? What can you and I do to honor the seventh-day Sabbath and proclaim it as God’s masterpiece of worship?
(10)
I'd like to address your first question: I believe it likely that there will be millions of people in heaven that didn't keep the seventh-day Sabbath because they didn't know about it, and thus God doesn't hold it against them. (See James 4:17)
I'd also like to suggest that keeping the seventh-day Sabbath does not contribute to anyone's salvation. We are all saved by Christ's grace alone. However, whether or not we order our lives in harmony with God's law *does* reveal where our heart is - whether we are truly trusting in Jesus or whether we are trusting in ourselves. Thus, any convicted by the Holy Spirit of the holiness of God's special day will honor Him by spending time with Him on that day if truly submitted to Christ.
This week's lesson has made me think of what keeping God's law is all about. The Sabbath will eventually be a visible sign of loyalty to God, but it will mean nothing at all if we do not have the sign of love in our hearts. (John 13:35) The "new commandment" Jesus gave us is still valid and has not been superseded by the Sabbath commandment: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." John 13:34
So, Read new commandment Jesus has given us matt 22:36-40
What is benefits of following sabbath ? Why can't we follow remaining 9 commandments out 10 commandment ,
So Sabbath is made for man
So every human should follow that .
Gods special day , he was sanctified , its is holy to all human
It is true that the "Sabbath was made for man", but how do we get that message out there for others to see?
Do we live our Sabbath rest so that others see it and wish that they too had a day like that?
thank God that am learning more things via Sabbath school study online as am alwaz busy at work and no time to watch you on tv and be with my fellow believers face to face to study,but with the online, am able to study and learn more from you and other contributors.Amen
My parents do make me think that if I don't go to church on Saturday I committed a huge sin.
My parents used to tell me the same thing. Then I grew up and found out that in fact, Sabbath is a huge blessing and really enjoyable. And I also worked out that church lasted only a couple of hours and the Sabbath lasted 24 hours, I had another 22 hours (minus the sleep hours of course) to fill in with really enjoyable activity. I think my parents probably had the right idea really. They might have used the big guilt thing initially, but they were the ones that taught me how to really enjoy the Sabbath. In fact, when I tell my unchurched friends what the Sabbath really means to me, they respond by saying, "Oh man! I wish I had a day like that!"