Know: Recognize the importance of the law of God and examine the central role of the Sabbath in the law of God.
Feel: Experience God’s love in His law and learn to enjoy the law of God.
Do: Find ways to obey the law of God without falling into legalism.
Learning Outline:
Know: The Sabbath in the Law
Why did God give the law?
What is the place of the Sabbath in the Decalogue?
How is the grace of God related to His law?
Feel: Law Is Love.
Why should we enjoy God’s law?
Why is to love God to obey His commandments?
Why is the Sabbath the commandment that expresses the most of His love to humankind?
Do: The Practice of Grace
Why does the Christian desire to obey God?
Why should I begin the Sabbath on time?
Why did many Jews and Christians die rather than disobey God?
Summary: The law of God is the most visible and the most concrete element of biblical religion. And yet, it is the aspect most controversial and controverted. Thus, it is on the law, and more specifically, on the Sabbath, that religious fidelity has been, and will be, tested.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Daniel 7:25, Revelation 14:9
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The law of God is to our spiritual life what physical exercise is to our blood. The Sabbath is to the law what the blood is to the body. The law is the only way that God has found to make our religion real and alive.
Just for Teachers: Many Christians have rejected the law. They mistake keeping the law with legalism. And yet, in reality the law cannot be separated from the gospel. Why?
Opening Discussion: Many Christians think that the law of the Sabbath could apply to any day. They believe that God who is eternal does not care about a specific day; or they argue that, for them, Sabbath takes place every day, because we should worship God on every day of the week.
Questions for Discussion:
Why would keeping the Sabbath on another day than the one prescribed by the law of God—the “seventh day”—affect the spiritual content of the Sabbath?
What spiritual lessons of the Sabbath will be missed if we observe Sabbath on a day other than the “seventh day”?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Do we observe God’s commandments only because we think that they are wise and rational, or because we believe they will make us happier? Contrary to either of these motives, the only rationale for keeping the law that is given in the law itself is “ ‘I am the LORD your God’ ” (Exod. 20:2, NKJV). It is our personal and historical relationship with the God of grace, the God who saved us and loved us, and the God whom we love in return that explains why we should keep these commandments. It is because He is “your God.” To change the law would shift that reason from God to ourselves. The change of the law for another reason, our human reason, would signify that we have replaced God by our own fabrication. The Bible calls this maneuver “idolatry” (Isa. 40:19).
Bible Commentary
I. The Grace of the Law (Review Genesis 2:16 and Psalm 119:29 with your class.)
It is striking that God’s first word to humankind (Adam and Eve) was a commandment: “The Lord God commanded the man” (Gen. 2:16, NKJV). This verb “commanded” concerns more than moral duties or ritual observances. For, as we see, God “commanded” the creation of the world (Ps. 33:9, Isa. 45:12). In the same way, God’s law is not just made of requests, imperative orders, things we should do, or prohibitions: rather, it is a gift. God Himself refers to His law as His gift to humans (Exod. 24:12, Neh. 9:13) for their own happiness and wisdom (Ps. 19:8; Deut. 4:5, 6). Moreover, the law of God is understood in the Bible as the expression of His grace. As the psalmist sings, “Grant me the grace of your Law” (Ps. 119:29, NJB).
Grace, as is suggested by this psalm, is not incompatible with the law. Indeed, grace is identified with the law. God’s first commandment is a good example. Significantly, His first command involves a gift of all the trees: of “ ‘every tree . . . you may freely eat’ ” (Gen. 2:16, NKJV). But it also contains a prohibition, or law, which ensures life, for the eating of the fruit will provoke death. Thus, as is evinced by Scripture, God’s laws are a gift from God to us, an expression of His grace and His love for humankind.
Consider This: The law is a gift from God, an expression of His love for us. Why, and how, should we, then, obey the law? In what ways is the Sabbath an expression of God’s love for us? Why do the psalmist and Paul himself call the law of God a “delight” (Ps. 119:92, Rom. 7:22, NKJV)? Why is the law of the Sabbath called a “delight” (Isa. 58:13, NKJV)?
II. The Change of the Law (Review Daniel 7:25 with your class.)
The biblical text of Creation reports that God is the One who determined the times (Gen. 1:14, 17). This act was His prerogative alone as the Creator of the universe.
The prophet Daniel affirms this same truth of Creation when he emphasizes that it is God who “changes the times and the seasons” (Dan. 2:21, NKJV). Yet, Daniel sees in his prophetic vision of human history the coming of a power, represented by a “little horn” with human features, that “shall intend to change times and law” (Dan. 7:25, NKJV). The reference to “times,” in association with the “law” of God, points, in fact, to specific time: the Sabbath; for the Sabbath is the only law that concerns the domain of times. Thus, we can infer from the text that the little-horn power will intend to change the Sabbath. The human characteristic of this power, which symbolizes its religious-spiritual identity (compare with Dan. 7:4, 13) and its place in the sequence of the kingdoms (after pagan Rome), suggests that it is the Roman Catholic Church. The prophecy of Daniel has thus predicted the claim of the church to take God’s place as the Creator.
The Roman Catholic Church did exactly as the prophecy predicted, replacing the sacredness of the Sabbath with Sunday worship. The main historical reason that motivated the Roman emperors, along with the Catholic authorities, in the direction of Sunday observance was that this change would facilitate the integration of most people in the Roman Empire. They were worshiping the sun and were thus keeping Sunday, the day of the sun. This “evangelistic” strategy and compromise greatly helped the political success of the Roman Catholic Church.
Yet, in order to justify, a posteriori, this change, the church fathers used the theological argument that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. This theological defense was, in fact, expressing the old Greek dualistic philosophy that separated the low physical world of Creation from the high spiritual world.
Consider This: Why is the Sabbath the most vulnerable commandment and the easiest commandment to be changed? What are the misconceptions that are revealed through the historical and theological reasons for that change?
Activity: Discuss and dismantle the spurious reasoning behind the main proof texts used by many Christians to support the change from Saturday to Sunday observance.
III. A Sign of the Times (Review Revelation 12:17; 14:9, 12 with your class.)
The book of Revelation informs us that beyond the tentative change of the Sabbath by the “little horn,” the Sabbath will serve at the end times as the test for faithfulness. Already in the Old Testament the Sabbath was given as a sign between God and His people, a visible sign that God is the One who sanctifies them (Exod. 31:13, Ezek. 20:12). The place of the Sabbath in the center of the Decalogue—which was the very place of the seal in ancient covenant treaties—testifies to that function of the Sabbath.
The book of Revelation uses the Old Testament symbol of faithfulness to the law of God, a sign on the forehead and on the hand (Deut. 6:8), to describe the one who joins the camp of the enemy of God and “worships the Beast” (Rev. 14:9, NKJV). This symbol suggests that the person in question has submitted to a spurious law that has replaced the law of God. The fact that the worship of the beast is set in contrast to the worship of the Creator (Rev. 14:7) suggests that it is the Sabbath that is at stake here, for the Sabbath expresses faith in the Creator (Exod. 20:11). Indeed, the next verse explains that this comment applies to the “saints” who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12; compare with Rev. 12:17).
Consider This: If you were to ask a Seventh-day Adventist what Sabbath means to him or her, he or she might answer, “It is not Sunday.” While this answer contains an important element of truth, it is not the whole truth. Why?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Discuss the reasons the church fathers did not want to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. Show the relationship between the genesis of anti-Semitism and the rejection of the Sabbath.
Application Questions:
How should we keep the Sabbath to make this day truly the sign of God?
Discuss this comparison by a rabbi: you Seventh-day Adventists keep Sabbath while we Jews celebrate Sabbath.
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Show the members of the class the unique nature of the Sabbath commandment in comparison to the other commandments. Help your class to understand why it makes sense that the Sabbath (and not another commandment) will be the last test of faith.
Activities:
Share with the members of your class stories of people who were persecuted because of their Sabbath observance.
Consider the following paradoxical question: Why is it sometimes more difficult to keep the Sabbath in a free society than it is to do so in an oppressive one? Discuss.
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Key Text: Exodus 20:8–11
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Know: The Sabbath in the Law
Feel: Law Is Love.
Do: The Practice of Grace
Summary: The law of God is the most visible and the most concrete element of biblical religion. And yet, it is the aspect most controversial and controverted. Thus, it is on the law, and more specifically, on the Sabbath, that religious fidelity has been, and will be, tested.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Daniel 7:25, Revelation 14:9
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The law of God is to our spiritual life what physical exercise is to our blood. The Sabbath is to the law what the blood is to the body. The law is the only way that God has found to make our religion real and alive.
Just for Teachers: Many Christians have rejected the law. They mistake keeping the law with legalism. And yet, in reality the law cannot be separated from the gospel. Why?
Opening Discussion: Many Christians think that the law of the Sabbath could apply to any day. They believe that God who is eternal does not care about a specific day; or they argue that, for them, Sabbath takes place every day, because we should worship God on every day of the week.
Questions for Discussion:
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Do we observe God’s commandments only because we think that they are wise and rational, or because we believe they will make us happier? Contrary to either of these motives, the only rationale for keeping the law that is given in the law itself is “ ‘I am the LORD your God’ ” (Exod. 20:2, NKJV). It is our personal and historical relationship with the God of grace, the God who saved us and loved us, and the God whom we love in return that explains why we should keep these commandments. It is because He is “your God.” To change the law would shift that reason from God to ourselves. The change of the law for another reason, our human reason, would signify that we have replaced God by our own fabrication. The Bible calls this maneuver “idolatry” (Isa. 40:19).
Bible Commentary
I. The Grace of the Law (Review Genesis 2:16 and Psalm 119:29 with your class.)
It is striking that God’s first word to humankind (Adam and Eve) was a commandment: “The Lord God commanded the man” (Gen. 2:16, NKJV). This verb “commanded” concerns more than moral duties or ritual observances. For, as we see, God “commanded” the creation of the world (Ps. 33:9, Isa. 45:12). In the same way, God’s law is not just made of requests, imperative orders, things we should do, or prohibitions: rather, it is a gift. God Himself refers to His law as His gift to humans (Exod. 24:12, Neh. 9:13) for their own happiness and wisdom (Ps. 19:8; Deut. 4:5, 6). Moreover, the law of God is understood in the Bible as the expression of His grace. As the psalmist sings, “Grant me the grace of your Law” (Ps. 119:29, NJB).
Grace, as is suggested by this psalm, is not incompatible with the law. Indeed, grace is identified with the law. God’s first commandment is a good example. Significantly, His first command involves a gift of all the trees: of “ ‘every tree . . . you may freely eat’ ” (Gen. 2:16, NKJV). But it also contains a prohibition, or law, which ensures life, for the eating of the fruit will provoke death. Thus, as is evinced by Scripture, God’s laws are a gift from God to us, an expression of His grace and His love for humankind.
Consider This: The law is a gift from God, an expression of His love for us. Why, and how, should we, then, obey the law? In what ways is the Sabbath an expression of God’s love for us? Why do the psalmist and Paul himself call the law of God a “delight” (Ps. 119:92, Rom. 7:22, NKJV)? Why is the law of the Sabbath called a “delight” (Isa. 58:13, NKJV)?
II. The Change of the Law (Review Daniel 7:25 with your class.)
The biblical text of Creation reports that God is the One who determined the times (Gen. 1:14, 17). This act was His prerogative alone as the Creator of the universe.
The prophet Daniel affirms this same truth of Creation when he emphasizes that it is God who “changes the times and the seasons” (Dan. 2:21, NKJV). Yet, Daniel sees in his prophetic vision of human history the coming of a power, represented by a “little horn” with human features, that “shall intend to change times and law” (Dan. 7:25, NKJV). The reference to “times,” in association with the “law” of God, points, in fact, to specific time: the Sabbath; for the Sabbath is the only law that concerns the domain of times. Thus, we can infer from the text that the little-horn power will intend to change the Sabbath. The human characteristic of this power, which symbolizes its religious-spiritual identity (compare with Dan. 7:4, 13) and its place in the sequence of the kingdoms (after pagan Rome), suggests that it is the Roman Catholic Church. The prophecy of Daniel has thus predicted the claim of the church to take God’s place as the Creator.
The Roman Catholic Church did exactly as the prophecy predicted, replacing the sacredness of the Sabbath with Sunday worship. The main historical reason that motivated the Roman emperors, along with the Catholic authorities, in the direction of Sunday observance was that this change would facilitate the integration of most people in the Roman Empire. They were worshiping the sun and were thus keeping Sunday, the day of the sun. This “evangelistic” strategy and compromise greatly helped the political success of the Roman Catholic Church.
Yet, in order to justify, a posteriori, this change, the church fathers used the theological argument that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. This theological defense was, in fact, expressing the old Greek dualistic philosophy that separated the low physical world of Creation from the high spiritual world.
Consider This: Why is the Sabbath the most vulnerable commandment and the easiest commandment to be changed? What are the misconceptions that are revealed through the historical and theological reasons for that change?
Activity: Discuss and dismantle the spurious reasoning behind the main proof texts used by many Christians to support the change from Saturday to Sunday observance.
III. A Sign of the Times (Review Revelation 12:17; 14:9, 12 with your class.)
The book of Revelation informs us that beyond the tentative change of the Sabbath by the “little horn,” the Sabbath will serve at the end times as the test for faithfulness. Already in the Old Testament the Sabbath was given as a sign between God and His people, a visible sign that God is the One who sanctifies them (Exod. 31:13, Ezek. 20:12). The place of the Sabbath in the center of the Decalogue—which was the very place of the seal in ancient covenant treaties—testifies to that function of the Sabbath.
The book of Revelation uses the Old Testament symbol of faithfulness to the law of God, a sign on the forehead and on the hand (Deut. 6:8), to describe the one who joins the camp of the enemy of God and “worships the Beast” (Rev. 14:9, NKJV). This symbol suggests that the person in question has submitted to a spurious law that has replaced the law of God. The fact that the worship of the beast is set in contrast to the worship of the Creator (Rev. 14:7) suggests that it is the Sabbath that is at stake here, for the Sabbath expresses faith in the Creator (Exod. 20:11). Indeed, the next verse explains that this comment applies to the “saints” who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12; compare with Rev. 12:17).
Consider This: If you were to ask a Seventh-day Adventist what Sabbath means to him or her, he or she might answer, “It is not Sunday.” While this answer contains an important element of truth, it is not the whole truth. Why?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Discuss the reasons the church fathers did not want to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. Show the relationship between the genesis of anti-Semitism and the rejection of the Sabbath.
Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Show the members of the class the unique nature of the Sabbath commandment in comparison to the other commandments. Help your class to understand why it makes sense that the Sabbath (and not another commandment) will be the last test of faith.
Activities: