There are teachings by some that the levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices will once again be placed into operation when Christ returns. This assumption is based on Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 40 – 48. Yet there is absolutely nothing in the New Testament to support such claims. In fact, such ideology undermines the finished work of Jesus Christ because the sacrifices that Ezekiel references include the sin offering and are said to be for atonement (Ez 45:17 see also Ez 42:13 and 45:23).

Everything that Ezekiel saw was visionary in view of the pattern given to Moses which was only a type and a shadow. Therefore Ezekiel’s vision cannot refer to literal animal sacrifices in the Kingdom of Christ.

If Ezekiel’s vision applies to the millennium (a debatable topic) it certainly would not be predicting a return to animal sacrifices because that would go contrary to the whole counsel of scripture. It would mean a return to the shadow once the fulfillment has come.

The sacrificial system which employed animal sacrifices foreshadowed Christ until he came and fulfilled all that was written of him. To suggest that we will return to the levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices is to suggest that we are returning to the old system that has been made obsolete. It also suggests a return to sacrifices for sins that could never take away sins after Christ has put away sin by the offering of Himself.

According to the scriptures, animal sacrifices were never desired by God and they never brought Him any pleasure. They were only given as a type and a shadow of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When Christ returns in all of his glory we will not be living in a Kingdom with types and shadows. We will be living in a Kingdom where the fullness of the light of the glory of God abounds. 

When Jesus returns, he will come in all of his majesty, honor, and glory. According to the scriptures, the coming of Jesus is the “glorious appearing” of our great God and Savior. We will see him face to face, and we will be like him for we will see him as he is. The scriptures also tell us “we will appear with him in glory” (1 John 3:1-3, Phil 3:21, 1 Cor 13, Colossians 3:4).

Why would anyone be compelled to think that the glorious return of Christ will usher in a reinstatement of an obsolete system of worship which employed the offering of animal sacrifices? It is because of the lack of revelation of Jesus Christ!

It is not good idea to interpret scripture which was visionary in nature under the Old Testament with interpretive claims that are contrary to the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ. The New Testament writers are the authoritative interpreters of the Old Testament scriptures as they pertain to Jesus Christ. The ideology of a return to that which was only a foreshadowing of Christ now that Christ has come is a contrary to New Testament doctrine.

Many of the old testament prophecies have a spiritual fulfillment rather than a literal fulfillment. Many are symbolic of a greater truth. We have an example of this in Acts 15 when James says the following:

“And to this agree the words of the prophets; AS IT IS WRITTEN. After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.”

If James had not said this someone could build a doctrine that the literal tent in which David placed the Ark of the Covenant would be rebuilt and we will worship the Lord there, or the literal Kingdom of David would be restored. Instead,  James applies this particular old testament prophecy as being fulfilled in the salvation of the Gentiles.

It is so important to interpret the Old Testament scriptures in view of the revelation of Jesus Christ given to us by the New Testament writers.

The Old Testament sacrifices were only types and shadows pointing to a greater truth. The greater truth has been revealed and we are not going back to the shadow. We are not going back to animal sacrifices which never please God. It is Christ in whom God is pleased. He is our sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:1-14).

The writer of Hebrews tells us that as long as the first tabernacle/temple was standing wherein were offered animal sacrifices, the Holy Ghost was signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet manifested (Hebrews 9:8).

Those things which Ezekiel saw were based solely on the pattern given to Moses, and was only a figure or a foreshadowing of something much greater. Christ has entered that which is greater. With his own Blood he entered once and for all into the holy place of the greater and more perfect tabernacle (in the Heavens) and has obtained eternal redemption for us!

The theology of the Hebrews Roots Movement teaches that the “handwriting of ordinances” mentioned in Colossians 2:14 does not refer to the Law of Moses. They claim that since the word “ordinances” in Colossians 2:14 comes from the Greek word dogma (dog’-mah) it cannot refer to the Law of Moses.

They insist that this word, dogma, refers to man-made laws each of the other four times it is used in the New Testament which makes it impossible to refer to the Law (the Law of Moses).

Is this a doctrinally sound conclusion? No it isn’t and here are some of the reasons why:

First, the Greek word dogma (dog’-mah) is found 5 times in the New Testament. It appears in Colossians 2:14 and in four other places.

In Luke 2:1 and Acts 17:7 it is DECREES from Caesar and Caesar’s decrees were authoritative.

Secondly, in Acts 16:4 it refers to DECREES given by the apostles and elders. Specifically this is a reference to the decision made by the apostles and elders at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.

In Acts 15 the apostles and elders along with the whole church determined that the Gentiles were not obligated to follow the Jewish religious code contained in the Law of Moses. As a result they sent Letters to the Gentiles informing them that they were under no obligation to come under the Law of Moses. They instructed them only to abstain from food offered to idols, from consuming blood, and from fornication.

During this meeting in Acts 15, it was determined based on the testimony of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, along with James’ interpretation of the scriptures that the Gentiles were not obligated to come under the yoke of the Law of Moses.

When they sent letters to the Gentiles informing them of their decision they said. “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things…”

The apostles and elders believed: (1) God had already chosen the Gentiles for His Name apart from the Law based on the testimony of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas. (2) The scriptures of the prophets confirmed that the Gentiles would be the people of God without the Law of Moses. (3) The Holy Spirit had guided them in their decision.

Again, the word decrees translated from dogma (dog’-mah) in Acts 16:4 refers to the apostles instructions and is based on the testimony of God (witnessed to by Peter, Paul, and Barnabas), the scriptures of the prophets, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it is authoritative and not simply a reference to man – made commandments.

The other use of this word dogma (dog’-mah) is found in Ephesians 2:15 where it refers of the law of commandments contained in ordinances, a specific reference to the Law of Moses as the separating wall between Jews and Gentiles.

In Colossians 2, “the blotting out of the handwriting of ordinances that were against us” is coupled with the forgiveness of all our trespasses. God forgave us of our trespasses by blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances which were against us.

In Deuteronomy 31, God told Moses to write the words of the Law in a book which was to serve as a witness AGAINST His people. Hence the use of the language “the handwriting of ordinances that were AGAINST US.”

In Christ we have forgiveness of all our trespasses (transgressions of the Law for the Law reveals our sinfulness) because the handwriting of the ordinances “against us” have been blotted out!

The Old Law which condemned us cannot serve as THE LAW for the new man in Christ, for the old law was given to govern the old man which has been destroyed in the cross of Christ. Those who are crucified with Christ are no longer under the law because the old man to whom that law applies was nailed to the cross with Christ and hence the law which condemns the old man is no longer binding. If any man is in Christ He is a new creature and old things have passed away, behold all things are become NEW!

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14).

The dead works mentioned in Hebrews 9:14 is not a reference to such things as helping the poor, taking care of the elderly, showing brotherly kindness, etc. These are good works and demonstrations of godliness. The “dead works,” contextually speaking, refers to those things which pertain to the old system (the tabernacle/temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices) which had been made obsolete at the time of the writing of the book of Hebrews.

Because of persecution, the temptation was present to abandon the true faith in Christ and revert back to Judaism which was now a dead religion. Though once ordained by God to serve the purpose of foreshadowing Christ, that system of worship under the Old Testament had now given way to a new and better covenant, a covenant established by the blood of Jesus.

Through the Blood of Jesus sin has been completely dealt with and there is no longer any need for those things which had no power to take away sin. Those “carnal ordinances” such as the levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices with the sanctuary and everything that pertained to them have no value in purifying the conscience before God. They were only a shadow for a set time until Christ came and brought eternal redemption through His blood.

Jesus our Great High Priest in the Heavens is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High and through His blood we are liberated to serve the Living God without any those restrictions which were imposed on those who were under the first Testament.

Those “carnal ordinances” which were imposed on them were a constant reminder that sin had not been dealt with and that the way into the holy presence of God had not yet been manifested. Therefore there was no boldness to enter God’s presence with a pure conscience through those things which are now dead works because that covenant has been fulfilled and it’s rites have been made obsolete.

Through the Blood of Jesus Christ we are cleansed from such “dead works” so that we may now serve the Living God, in the Spirit of Christ, with a pure conscience.

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:1-14).

REST FOR YOUR SOULS

Attempting to refute error with error is not a good idea. For instance, it’s not a good idea to attempt to refute legalistic Sabbath keeping by attempting to refute the Sabbath. The Sabbath according to the scriptures is not the problem; it’s the wrong ideas of people who don’t understand what they are talking about that’s the problem.

I have heard the stories of men who have lost their jobs because they refuse to work on the Sabbath and others who can’t find a job because they refuse to work on the Sabbath. This has caused much grief to their families and put some of them in real financial straits.

Is this really what God intends? Is this God’s intended result for those who keep the Sabbath? Is it right in the eyes of God for a man to neglect His family in order to keep the Sabbath?

If those who claim to be Torah Observant would actually and prayerfully read the dialogue between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day, they would discover that Jesus does not support their interpretation of the Sabbath.

It is right and godly to do that which is good on the Sabbath and providing for your family qualifies as doing right and good.

On the other hand, it is wrong to attack the Sabbath itself by attempting to refute it simply because some have abused it. You cannot refute the Sabbath because there is absolutely no scriptural grounds for refuting the Sabbath.

Now, read carefully, and don’t misunderstand what I just said. You may refute the legalistic interpretation of the Sabbath as Jesus did but you can’t refute the Sabbath with scripture. The Sabbath was ordained by God in Genesis 2:2-3 and it is a part of the Biblical narrative. It’s how the Sabbath is understood or misunderstood that needs to be addressed. When the Sabbath becomes about pleasing a “rules driven God” rather than about a beautiful and personal relationship with God in Christ, then people go into error.

The first ever Sabbath in scripture is recorded in Genesis 2:2-3. God rested on the seventh day and sanctified it. This was God’s Sabbath and it was a DAY which God sanctified. Exodus 20:10-11 and Exodus 31:16-17 tells us that God later commanded Israel to keep the Sabbath because He had rested on the Seventh day.

From Adam until Moses, there is no recorded Sabbath command for man. The only Sabbath is the one mentioned in Genesis 2:2-3, the seventh day in which God rested from His work.

In Deuteronomy 5:14-15 the Bible gives us more insight into the reason that God commanded Israel to observe the Sabbath. God gave this command because the children of Israel had been slaves to the Egyptians. Israel was not only to have a day of rest but their servants were to rest also. We ought to see the heart of God in this. God delivered Israel and gave them a day of rest, something they did not have as slaves in Egypt.

God’s intended purpose was rest and that is the concept that we need to latch on to. If we’ll hear the scriptures with our hearts we will understand that God is in favor of our rest and we’ll understand the heart of God in Christ with regards to the giving of the Sabbath. Instead of being bound by the letter of the Law we need to hear what Spirit is saying in view of the person of Jesus Christ.

The Psalmist said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but MY EARS you have OPENED — burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; YOUR LAW is within my heart.”

Sacrifices and offerings were an actual requirement according to the letter of the law. Yet the Psalmist says “sacrifice and offering you did not desire” because the Lord had opend his ears and consequently he understood that this is not what God truely wanted. The writer of Hebrews quotes these verses in reference to Jesus.

In like manner, God’s desired purpose concerning the Sabbath is not a legalistic observance of a holy day. Instead, it’s intended purpose is rest for our souls and that rest can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If a person keeps the “technical Sabbath” after the letter of the Law yet his soul finds no rest because of worries and cares, has he really kept the Sabbath? And if true rest can only be found in Jesus then can true rest be found but observing the “technical Sabbath?”

Again, you cannot refute the truth of the Sabbath with Scripture because scripture never refutes it. You can refute interpretations of the Sabbath observance and what it means within the context of New Testament doctrine but scripture does not turn us against it.

There is a beautiful truth within the Sabbath and that truth is discovered in the person of Jesus Christ. When understood in view of *the rest* which we have in Jesus Christ the purpose for the Sabbath within the Biblical narrative becomes a very liberating. In addition, we ought to learn from the scriptures as well that observing the ““technical Sabbath” has never been able to bring God’s people into the rest that God has for them.

The writer of Hebrews addresses this issue telling us that God rested on the seventh day form all His works and as pointed out earlier the reason that God commanded Israel to keep the Sabbath was because He had rested on the Sabbath day.

The command which God gave to Israel to keep the Sabbath is uniquely tied to the promised inheritance of the land of Israel. Inheritance and rest go hand in hand and both are to be obtained through faith. In Hebrews 3 and 4 the writer of Hebrews speaks of the first generation of Israelites who failed to enter the Promised Land as failing to enter into “God’s rest.”

Hebrews 3:7-11 says the following:

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into MY REST).

Notice that the writer of Hebrews refers to the first generation of Israelites not entering the promises land as falling short of God’s rest.

When Hebrews 3 – 4 is read in its entirety, we see that the first generation of Israelites did not enter in the Promised Land (God’s rest) because of their unbelief. The writer of Hebrews says this as an exhortation to us with regards to faith. In chapter 4 he speaks of God resting from all of His works on the Sabbath day within the context of exhorting us to labor to enter into THAT REST. We are to labor to enter into GOD’S REST for us and THAT REST is in the finished work of God in Christ Jesus.

For us who are under the new and better Covenant, keeping the Sabbath is all about finding true rest for our souls by completely trusting in Jesus Christ!

“Let us therefore fear, lest, A PROMISE being left us of entering into HIS REST, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was THE GOSPEL preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For WE WHICH HAVE BELIEVED DO ENTER INTO REST, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into MY REST: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did REST the seventh day FROM ALL HIS WORKS. And in this place again, If they shall enter into MY REST. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of UNBELIEF : Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Joshua had given them REST, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore A REST to the people of God. For he that is entered into HIS REST, he also hath CEASED FROM HIS OWN WORKS, AS GOD DID FROM HIS. Let us labour therefore to enter into THAT REST, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (capps for emphasis only)

As previously stated, “There is a beautiful truth within the Sabbath throughout the narrative of scripture and that truth is discovered in the person of Jesus Christ. When understood in view of *the rest* which we have in Jesus Christ the purpose for the Sabbath within the Biblical narrative becomes a very liberating truth.”

Paul tells us that the feasts and the Sabbaths were a shadow of good things to come and those good things are found in Jesus. It think it would beneficial of us to teach the good things in Jesus of which the Sabbaths foreshadowed rather than fighting against the Sabbath itself simply because some have abused the truth.

Scripture does not refute or support refuting the Sabbath as some attempt to do. Scripture supports refuting the legalistic and religious abuse of the Sabbath as Jesus did. Jesus did not refute the Sabbath but brought to full light what the intended purpose for the Sabbath was all about and that purpose was rest for the soul and THAT REST can only be found In the person of Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 1:13 God referred to backslidden Israel’s observance of the Sabbath and feasts as worthless assemblies because they were full of iniquity in their hearts towards God and in how they treated others. It is how we treat one another that really matters to God.

1 John 4:19-21 says, “We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

Backslidden Israel was in rebellion against God and doing those things which were detestable to Him. In their rebellion they had forsaken those who were the most feeble and vulnerable among them. They were far from being a nation that demonstrated mercy and true justice, therefore God sent them into exile. They became so rebellious towards God and repulsive in His sight that God said to Jeremiah “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.” And through Isaiah the prophet God refers to them as “you rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah.”

“Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! “The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 1:10-20).

The Sabbath never was about the day of the week. It is about the ways of God which is mercy, justice, and faith which Jesus referred to as the weightier matters of the Law.

God gave the Sabbath to Israel to remind them that they were at one time slaves to the Egyptians and He had delivered them from oppression to bring them into their promised rest. He also commanded them to treat their servants with the same kindness that they had received from the Lord.

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, SO THAT YOUR MALE AND FEMALE SERVANTS MAY REST, AS YOU DO. REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE SLAVES in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)

The Sabbath command was not about the day only, instead it is about people whom God loves and wants to bring out of oppression as Jesus said of the woman in Luke 13, “ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were more concerned about the legality of the Law, rather than God’s intent of setting people free from oppression. The letter of the Law in the hard hearted does not reveal God’s heart.

It is Jesus who reveals the Father. Jesus brought the true revelation of the Father that those who were in bondage to the letter of the Law did not know. When people attempt to enforce the law legalistically they only promote bondage and death.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day put all kinds of restrictions on people with the letter of the law because they did not know the Father. And since they did not know the Father, they did not understand the heart or intent of the Law.

The Sabbaths and feasts which God gave to Israel were intended to reveal HIM and His glorious saving and redeeming power. All the feasts point to Him and His love for His people but the religious leaders of Israel were blind and did not even recognize Him when He walked among them in the flesh. They condemned Him for not keeping the Law (according to their legalistic bondage). In their self righteousness and hard-heartedness they had hi-jacked God’s law with their traditions. They condemned Him for breaking the Sabbath because they were in bondage to their own sins and rather than giving life they could only condemn others with the letter of the Law.

In Matthew 12, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some grain fields on the Sabbath day. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. But some Pharisees saw this and objected. They accused Jesus and his disciples of breaking the Law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.

The response given by Jesus is very intriguing to me. Jesus does not protest he and his disciple’s innocence in typical fashion. He actually cites two accounts from the scriptures where the “technical” breaking of the Sabbath occurred and He cites these to defend his actions.

In verses 3-4 Jesus says, “Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?”

Then in verse 5 He says, “Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple PROFANE THE SABBATH, and are blameless?”

Profaning the Sabbath (KJV), is a reference to the priests who carried on the service of the Temple on the Sabbath. In other words they were working. For instance notice the following translations:

1. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? (NIV)

2. And haven’t you read in the Law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? (TNLT)

Jesus goes on to say, “But I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is LORD even of the Sabbath day.”

Jesus is greater than the Temple because He is the Son of God and by definition He is greater than those who are blameless for working in the Temple on the Sabbath. He is Lord of the Sabbath.

There is a hint here that we do not need to overlook. Jesus’ Lordship trumps the mere rules and regulations. The Sabbath is not Lord. Jesus is Lord and the Sabbath serves Him and His purposes not the other way around.

Suffice to say, Jesus’ theology really irritated the religious leaders because his understanding of the purpose of the Sabbath wasn’t conducive to their religious bondage.

Now, in John 5 we have another interesting set of events. During one of the Jewish feasts Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda and healed a man who had been sick or infirmed for 38 years. This healing by Jesus happened on the Sabbath and this infuriated the religious Jews.

Verses 16-18 says the following, “And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had BROKEN THE SABBATH, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

First, Jesus actually claims that his Father God, was working on the Sabbath as the defense of why he healed the man on the Sabbath. Jesus says “My Father WORKETH hitherto, and I work.”

Secondly, John (the Gospel writer) doesn’t say Jesus was falsely accused of breaking the Sabbath, John says He broke the Sabbath and claimed that God was His Father.

This is a real problem for those who point the finger at others as lawless for not keeping all the rules according to their standards.

In Luke 13, as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath day, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. The KJV says she had a spirit of infirmity. When Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” Then Jesus laid his hands on her and immediately she could stand straight, and she glorified God.

The ruler of the synagogue became indignant because Jesus had healed this woman on the Sabbath day. He said to the crowd in the presence of Jesus, “there are six days of the week for working, come on those days to be healed, NOT on the Sabbath.”

Jesus then replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

They had no understanding of the REASON for the Sabbath. It’s wasn’t about a legalistic observance to please a Law-driven God. Instead it should have been observed as a gift for a day of rest in remembrance of the goodness of the God Israel who is gracious and full of tender mercies and loving kindness. If they had sought God by faith, rather than by the works of the Law (i.e. their ethic status) they would understood this.

On another Sabbath the Scribes and Pharisees watched Jesus to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. They did this because they were looking for the opportunity to find an accusation against him. Luke 6 records this as follows:

On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him. (Luke 6:6-11)

The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees had no desire to celebrate the man’s healing because their hearts were hardened to the purpose for which the Sabbath was given. They were bound in their legalistic traditions and completely blind to the goodness of God.

Throughout the gospels we have Jesus’ interpretation of the true meaning and purpose of the Sabbath. He taught, healed, worked Miracles, and cast out demons; all on the Sabbath day.

According to Jesus, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). One translation of Mark 2:27 says, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

The Sabbath ought to be about finding rest in Jesus and abiding in Him. He is the true rest that we are all looking for and in Him alone there is the TRUE SABBATH REST!

Jesus met the needs of the people on the Sabbath and in meeting their need they experienced their true Sabbath rest and that is the rest that is found in Him alone.

Jesus said, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, except the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that LABOR and are HEAVY LADEN, and I will give you REST. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:27-30).

If I were in a public debate concerning the Sabbath, I would in no way attempt to discredit the Sabbath or the observance of it. Those who take this approach ought not to get involved in such a debate because you cannot discredit the Sabbath with scripture.

I would instead address Jesus’ interpretation of the Sabbath and pose the following question:

“If we are to observe the Sabbath, shouldn’t we also do the works which Christ did on the Sabbath? If we are to truly observe the Sabbath, shouldn’t we follow Christ’s example and do what He did on the Sabbath?

When the New Testament is surveyed we find the following:

• First, Jesus was condemned by the religious leaders as a Sabbath breaker.
• Secondly, Jesus never condemned anyone concerning the Sabbath.
• Thirdly, Jesus was actively working on the Sabbath meeting the needs of people.

I would also show how Christ is the true rest that the Sabbath foreshadowed using both the Old and New Testaments. The scriptures testify of Jesus and in Him is the true rest to which the Sabbath pointed.

Some may object, claiming that the New Testament doesn’t teach that Jesus is our Sabbath. Ahh, but it does. How? You may ask. Well, each of the feasts given to Israel was in and of itself a Sabbath in addition to the weekly Sabbath.

Consider the following:

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets (the festival of trumpets), an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. ~ Leviticus 23:23-25

Notice that the festival of Trumpets is called a Sabbath, and the Sabbath is repeatedly described as a time in which “Ye shall do no servile work therein.”

Also, Leviticus 23 refers to an eight day Sabbath following the feast of Tabernacles:

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: Ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eight day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and Ye shall do no servile work therein. ~ Leviticus 23:34-36

If we are going to teach people to follow the teachings of scripture concerning the Sabbaths, then let’s go all the way. The feasts were ceremonial Sabbaths in addition to the weekly Sabbaths and lets describe them as such.

In the New Testament the apostle Paul says, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” In Christ and in him alone, we have the rest foreshadowed in the Sabbaths: both in the weekly and ceremonial Sabbaths.

PSALM 22 – OUTLINED

PSALM 22:1-5, THE PERCEPTION: FORSAKEN BY GOD

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

PSALM 22:6-8, THE REALITY: DESPISED BY THE PEOPLE

But I am a worm (scarlet, red), and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

PSALM 22:9-11, THE MESSIAH’S HOPE IN GOD

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

PSALM 22:12-21, MESSIAH’S PRAYER

Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

PSALM 22:22-31, MESSIAH’S TRIUMPH AND PRAISE

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

OBSERVATIONS

• The words ‘‘My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me,’ come from the first verse of Psalm 22. The Jews who were acquainted with the Torah would have recognized these words and would have immediately thought of Psalm 22 in its entirety.

• The 22nd Psalm gives a vivid description of the suffering Messiah.

• Matthew 27 and Mark 15 are the two places in the New Testament where Psalm 22:1 is recorded. In both instances the scriptures record the response of the Centurion Soldier who heard Jesus cry out these words. His conclusion was “truly this man was the Son of God. ”And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God (Mark 15:34-39).

• What persuaded the Centurion Soldier that Jesus was the Son of God? If God had abandoned Jesus, this would have only reinforced what the Jews already thought. it would have proved he was not the Messiah. Yet if his death on the cross did indeed prove that He is the Son of God as Jesus said it would, then the words he recited from Psalm 22 must have been a part of this undeniable evidence that Jesus is God’s Son.

 

GOD WAS WITH JESUS DURING HIS SUFFERINGS

• GOD DID NOT HIDE HIS FACE FROM HIM – For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard (Psalm 22:24).

• HE WAS HEARD – Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Hebrews 5:7-9).

• I AM NOT ALONE BECAUSE THE FATHER IS WITH ME – I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me (John 16:28-32).

• THE FATHER HAS NOT LEFT ME ALONE – Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him (John 8:29).

• HE IS NEAR WHO JUSTIFIES ME – The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up (Isaiah 50:5-9).

• BY THE GRACE OF GOD HE TASTED DEATH – But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:9).

• GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

• THROUGH THE ETERNAL SPIRIT JESUS OFFERED HIMSELF TO GOD – How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14).

• JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD AS AN UNBLEMISHED LAMB – Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (1 Peter 1:18-20),

• THE DEATH OF JESUS WAS A SWEET FRAGRANCE TO GOD – Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor (Ephesians 5:2).

 

MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME? IS ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL STATEMENTS MADE BY JESUS FROM THE CROSS.

• JESUS SPOKE WORDS OF FORGIVENESS – Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots (Luke 23:34).

• JESUS SPOKE WORDS OF PROVISION – Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:27).

• JESUS SPOKE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE – And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:39-43).

• JESUS SPOKE WORDS FROM THE SCRIPTURES – After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost (John 19:28-30). And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 15:46).

• JESUS SPOKE WORDS OF TRUST IN GOD – And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost (Luke 23:46).

 

CONCLUSION

• Jesus was delivered to the cross, not from the cross.

• It was the will of God for Jesus to lay down His life and to take it up again.

• God did not interpose to rescue Jesus from the agony of the Cross.

• Jesus was protected from those who wanted to destroy Him until the time came that He should lay down His life (John 7:30).

• Jesus endured the full weight of grief of the soul who feels abandoned for  He is a High Priest touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

• The sense of abandonment experienced by Christ was provisional not relational. God withdraw his protective hand when the time came for Jesus to lay down his life; in this sense he was delivered over to death by God as our sacrifice. Jesus was not relationally separated from God.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

What does it mean to be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus?

The New Living Translation says: For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Being made the righteousness of God in Christ does indeed sound a lot more spectacular than simply being made right with God; yet when the whole counsel of scripture is taken into account, being made right with God is exactly what is meant by the words “made the righteousness of God in Christ.”

We are in right standing with God through Jesus Christ and it is God’s own righteousness that has brought this about.

Consider the following for Romans 4:

Now it was not written for his (Abraham’s) sake alone, that it (righteousness) was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (v.23-25)

Regarding Romans 4:25, W.E. Vine states, “…all that was necessary on God’s part for our justification had been effected in the death of Christ. On this account he was raised from the dead. The propitiation being perfect and complete, his resurrection was the confirmatory counterpart.”

Christ Jesus is the one through whom we are justified in the sight of God. However, it is how this justification is accredited to us that is sometimes misunderstood.

For instance, in Calvinist theology, being made righteousness in Christ means that Christ’s own personal righteousness is imputed to us as righteousness. Though it is understandable how someone could reach this conclusion, the Bible doesn’t actually support this claim when the whole counsel of scripture is taken into account.

Allow me to expound on this briefly. Let’s look again at the verses in Romans cited above:

Now it was not written for his (Abraham’s) sake alone, that it (righteousness) was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (v.23-25)

A careful reading of Romans 4 reveals that Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God.

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED UNTO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Romans 4:1-3)

Notice that “it” is a reference to Abraham’s faith which was accounted or accredited to him as righteousness.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but BELIEVETH on him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (ROMANS 4:4-5)

Notice that for the one who believes in God through Christ, his faith is counted or accredited for righteousness.

Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God IMPUTETH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT WORKS, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that FAITH WAS RECKONED TO ABRAHAM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (ROMANS 4:6-9)

Paul, quoting David from the Psalms, describes the blessedness of being forgiven as imputed righteousness. He then cites Abraham’s faith again and says, faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

HOW WAS IT THEN RECKONED? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH which he had yet being uncircumcised: THAT HE MIGHT BE THE FATHER OF ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE, though they be not circumcised; THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS MIGHT BE IMPUTED UNTO THEM ALSO: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also WALK IN THE STEPS OF THAT FAITH OF OUR FATHER ABRAHAM, which he had being yet uncircumcised. (ROMANS 4:10-12)

Notice that Abraham is the father of all who believe and righteousness is imputed to them in the same way it was imputed to Abraham: through faith.

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH. (ROMANS 4:13)

The righteousness of faith refers to righteousness that accredited through faith. That is the train of thought here.

For if they which are of the law be heirs, FAITH is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of FAITH, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is OF THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before himWHOM HE BELIEVED, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in FAITH, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was STRONG IN FAITH, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. AND THEREFORE *IT* WAS IMPUTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.(Romans 4:14-22)

The “it” which was imputed to him for righteousness is faith!

Now it was not written for his sake alone, THAT IT WAS IMPUTED TO HIM; But FOR US ALSO, to whom IT SHALL BE IMPUTED, IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:24-25)

Notice that, that which was written concerning faith being imputed for righteousness was not written for Abraham’s sake alone, but for us also to who it – faith – will be imputed as righteousness if we believe on him who raised Jesus from the dead.

Also notice that Abraham’s faith in God is specifically tied to the promise God made to him that he would be the father of many nations. According the Galatians 3:8, thise was the gospel in advance. Abraham believed God’s promise, in Christ, that he should be the father of many nations and was justified.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it (Abraham’s faith in God) was counted unto him for righteousness (Romans 4:3).

Likewise, our faith in Jesus is accounted as righteousness,because faith in Jesus Christ is a righteous and holy thing in the sight of God. It is our faith in God through Jesus Christ that isimputed to us as righteousness to us.

How then are we to understand scriptures such as Galatians 2:16 & 20, and Philippians 3:9, which speaks of justification by the faith OF Christ?

In the traditional KJV of the Bible, the faith OF Christ, is an old English reference to, the faith which is in Christ, or better yet,faith in Christ. It is not a reference to Christ’s own personal faith.

For example, Galatians 2:16 in the New King James Version says the following:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, even we have BELIEVED IN CHRIST JESUS, that we might be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH IN CHRIST and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

INTRODUCTION

I was raised in a denomination that taught once saved always saved, and heard the OSAS theology a lot. After I came to the Lord at 14 years of age, I later began to reading my Bible. As I read the scriptures, I would come across verses that seemed to say the opposite. I sought God because I was confused. I was hearing one thing preached and reading another in the Bible. My prayer was, “Lord what do you say?” I found the truth in the scriptures and I have always found that God is faithful to answer my questions according to His Holy Written Word.

I was once asked by someone what I believed about once saved always saved. I responded by letting him know that the question “Can you lose your salvation” (which is so often addressed) is really misleading. To lose something can indicate that it comes up missing.

The question that we need to answer is this: “Can we abandon our faith in Christ once we have come to the Lord, and if we can, what are the consequences?”

Does the Bible teach that it is possible to abandon our faith once we have believed? The answer to that is yes it does (example, Romans 11:17-22; Hebrews 3:12-14).

If we conclude that we can abandon our faith based on scripture, the question we must then address is this: “Does the Bible teach that those who once believed will be saved even though they have turned away from the Lord?” Can faith we once had saved us if we no longer believe?

The Bible addresses this multiple times as well, and the answer is no, for we cannot be saved if we turn away from the Lord and abandon our faith in Him (Ex. Jude 1:5; Romans 11:17-22; Hebrews 10:23-31).

So often people will use the pat answer, “they were never saved to begin with,” which really is not a Biblical response at all. Instead, we should all seek to know the truth and get brutally honest about the teachings of the New Testament with regards to the severity of God.

As far as God is concerned, He is faithful and will never fail us as long as we trust in Him. He will keep us by His power no matter what we are struggling with. He is gracious and merciful. Yet, if we abandon Him and stop trusting in Him that’s a different subject altogether. We are saved by God’s grace THROUGH our faith! Both are just as important, for the scriptures declare “if we deny him, He also will deny us” and that is written to us who have believed.

THE REAL ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED

Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS) theology certainly is a hot button issue. Yet I think there is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed, and that issue often affects how we view such ideas as OSAS.

The issue I am referring to is the premium we place on handling the Word of God with integrity, something that means far more to me than being right on an issue.

After I came to the Lord at 14 years of age, I later began to read my Bible. As I read the scriptures, I came across verses that seemed to say the opposite of what I had been taught about OSAS.

Please understand that I was very insecure and for me OSAS was a welcomed way of thinking. I certainly wasn’t looking to disprove it, not in the least. Yet, as I read the Bible with a heart seeking to know God, I came across verses that simply were not consistent with the OSAS theology I had been taught. What was I to do? Should I have ignored those verses and act like they weren’t there? My only option was to seek God and find out the truth for myself because it really doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks. The truth is the truth and believing something a certain way is not going to change what the truth is. I had to find the truth so I could believe THAT regardless if I were already right or wrong.

Now please hear me when I say, I sincerely sought God because I was being taught one thing by man and reading another in the Bible. My honest prayer before God was “Lord what do you say?” That prayer has been the foundation of my sincere approach to scripture over the years.”

I have spent much of my life pouring over God’s word, and many times I have had to change what I previously thought or believed because I found out that I was wrong.

With regards to OSAS, I am convinced that there is wrong thinking on both sides of the issue. Those who think you lose your salvation every time you mess up are just as wrong as those who think that once you have been converted it’s impossible to harden your heart and be deceived by sin.

The problem with divisions over such issues as OSAS is that people generally side with one group of scriptures at the expense of others. Anytime we knowingly turn a deaf ear to certain portions of God’s word because those scriptures are in opposition to what we believe, we have handled the Word of God dishonestly.

Many years ago I had to come to terms with the portions of scripture which were not consistent with what I had been taught. I have always found that there is no basis for doctrine until the whole of the scriptures agrees. I am very versed in scripture and am well acquainted with the truth that there are many promises concerning eternal life. Yet so often these verses are interpreted in such a manner that they are slanted towards our human understanding more that lining up with the whole of Biblical thought.

I am sure that those of you who believe in once saved always saved (aka OSAS) also believe in a literal hell and eternal punishment for rejecting Christ. I do as well. Imagine for a moment that I did not believe in a literal hell or eternal punishment. Now, imagine what it would be like if you were to show me clear undeniable evidence in scripture that hell is real and there is eternal punishment for those who reject Christ, then in response I said, “God has reconciled all things to Himself (Col 1:20). He has reconciled the world and He does not hold our sins against us anymore (2 Cor 5:19). He has dealt with sin permanently by putting them away (Heb 9:26). So no one will be punished for all eternity – everyone will ultimately be saved.”

This is the kind of argument that someone in Universalism might make. Yet it is an error because the balance of scripture refutes such private interpretation of these verses of scripture. If a person does not reconcile these verses with the immediate context and the whole counsel of scripture they could come away with any number of ideas such as the one given above.

The scriptures have much to say about our security in Christ but according to the balance of scripture that security is conditional based on our faith. As far as God is concerned, He will never leave us or forsake us. The eternal life which He gives us is secure in Him so long as we believe and abide in His goodness as Romans 11 says.

No matter how difficult the road gets and no matter how difficult our struggles with any sin may be, God will continue to be faithful to help us if we trust in him to do so. Yet if we harden our hearts, the possibility exists that we can depart from Him and that is what the writer of Hebrews is telling us in Hebrews 3.

TAKE HEAD TO SCRIPTURES THAT WARN US 

In Chapter two, the writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”

If it were not possible to let the things concerning the great salvation we have received slip, Why the warning “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?”

Escape what? What are we in danger of?

If it is impossible to never depart from the Lord once we have known the way of righteousness what are we in danger of? Is it just a gold ole scolding before the judgment seat of Christ for not being a good Christian? What are we in danger of? The repeated warning throughout Hebrews is the danger of apostasy or abandoning our faith which has eternal reward if we hold on to it and eternal consequences if we abandon.

The second warning given in the book of Hebrews exhorts us not to harden our hearts through unbelief.  In this section we are reminded that God swore in His wrath that those who provoked Him in the wilderness also died in the wilderness and they did not enter into His rest. The writer of Hebrews warns us to fear God so that we do not fall after their example and become like those in the wilderness who fell short of entering His rest (which according to the context is eternal rest for our souls). It is clear from the context that the same God who swore in His wrath, “They shall not enter my rest,” and did not spare those who rebelled in the wilderness will not spare us either if we become hard hearted through unbelief and the deceitfulness of sin.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end (Hebrews 3:12-14).

Jude, in his brief epistle, also draws on this account when he writes to the brethren exhorting them to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 1:3-5 says:

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this,  how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 

Why would this exhortation be necessary if it were impossible to fall from (abandon) the grace of God once we have been saved? Both Jude and the writer of Hebrews address the importance of persevering in the true faith.

Many think of the book of Hebrews as a doctrinal book and it does contain many very helpful doctrinal truths but in the mind of it’s author, it was a letter of exhortation. In 13:22 he says, “I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of EXHORTATION: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.”

Too many times Hebrews is approached only from a doctrinal standpoint and the exhortation is missed. At its heart, Hebrews is an exhortation. In case you are one of the ones who have missed the exhortation of this marvelous book, it is an exhortation for the first century Hebrew believers to persevere in the faith and not to forsake Christ because your faith has a great recompense of reward if you do not turn back.

The exhortations given by the writer of Hebrews was written to fellow Hebrew believers. Nowhere in the entire letter is he talking to unbelievers. He calls them brethren throughout the letter (2:11, 12, 17; 3:1, 12; 7:5; 10:19; 13:22). He also includes himself by using the pronouns we (51 times) us (31 times) and our (16 times).

Someone has made the argument that he calls them brethren because they were his Hebrew brethren but this cannot be the case because in Hebrews 3:1 he says, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.”

These same brethren to whom he refers to as holy brethren  and partakers of the heavenly calling are the ones he is talking to throughout the entirety of the book and in verses 12-14, he says “take heed brethren.”

Take heed to what?

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the Living God. 

The writer of Hebrews certainly did not think that it was impossible for a believer to abandon his faith in God, nor is there any hint in Hebrews that he thought everything would work out in the end for those who do.

He refers to Jesus as the apostle and High Priest of our faith (3:1) and tells the holy brethren who have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through faith to “take heed,” and not to allow in them an evil heart of unbelief, which can cause them to depart from the living God. He tells them to exhort one another daily, so that they will not be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Again, this is not a warning for unbelievers. He is talking to the brethren and warning them against the deceitfulness of sin which can cause a hard heart and lead them away from the Living God.

The Bible does not teach that once a person is saved they cannot turn away from God or abandon their faith. Paul says in 1 Timothy, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, Giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”

Departing from the faith is the same language that the writer of Hebrews uses in chapter 3 and exhortations to continue steadfastly in the faith throughout Hebrews comes through loud and clear.  For instance, in chapter 12 we read the following:

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:22-29)

We must remain faithful to God.

CONTINUE IN THE FAITH

The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not once saved always saved, as some might think. The good news is that Jesus died and rose again and salvation through the grace of God is freely given to all who believe.

Throughout the New Testament, believing in Jesus means that we must continue in the faith. Paul says in Colossians 1 that we will be presented holy and unblameable and unreproveable in God’s sight if we continue in the faith and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.

The hope of the gospel belongs to those who continue or persevere in the faith because even after one comes to faith there are many temptations to go back into the world.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received,  and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if you keep in memory  what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Paul says the following.

1. He preached the gospel to them.
2. They received the gospel.
3. They were standing in the gospel.

OSAS theology teaches that God honors that original belief in Him and that is what saves us. If this is so, why does Paul tell these Corinthians that they are saved if they keep in memory (hold fast to) what he has preached to them, otherwise they will have believed in vain?

Paul did not seem to think that their original belief would profit them if they did not continue in the faith and that is why he says they would have believed in vain if they do not hold fast to what he preached to them.

In John 8:31 Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. We must continue in the faith as Hebrews 3:6 and 14 also tell us.

We are His house, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (Hebrews 3:6).

We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end (Hebrews 3:14).

This is about as simple as it can be said. When anyone implies that the scriptures teach, “believe only and holding fast to our faith is not necessary,” such theology is in direct opposition to New Testament doctrine.

WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH AND CONTINUING IN THAT FAITH 

The scriptures teach that we are kept by the power of God “through” faith unto salvation (1 Peter 1:5) and when we see Jesus we will receive reward for the end of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:9). The scriptures never teach that we are kept by God if we stop believing. Neither do the scriptures ever teach that it is impossible to turn away from Christ after we have come to Him.

The concept that God will be faithful to keep us if we are faithless and no longer trust Him is not a Bible teaching. It is actually a very deceitful concept.

In Romans 11 the apostle Paul tells us, “Boast not against the branches (Israelites who did not believe). But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of UNBELIEF they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed least He also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou shalt be cut off.  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again” (Romans 11:18-23).

I am not sure how anyone could fit OSAS into these verses.

They tell us that we are not to be high minded (prideful, haughty) but fear the Lord because if we do not continue in God’s goodness through faith we will be cut off. This is consistent with what the writer of Hebrews is saying.

There is so much in the New Testament that refutes the idea that holding fast to our faith isn’t necessary. It is necessary and the concept that it isn’t necessary is at the heart of the error in the OSAS theology.

The Bible teaches that we must continue in the faith and to teach otherwise is unsound and unwholesome doctrine.

THE WORDS OF JESUS

OSAS theology is not consistent with the rebukes Jesus gave to the churches in the Book of the Revelation. Why did Jesus say to the church in Ephesus, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

If it is impossible to forsake the Lord once we have been saved, why did Jesus say this?

Why did Jesus say to the church in Sardis, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” (Rev. 3:1-3)

These words of Jesus in the book of the Revelation are consistent with His words elsewhere. For example, Matthew 24:48-51

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow servants  and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

These words are spoken in contrast to the servant who kept himself ready and was doing the will of God.

Revelation 16:15 says, “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

If OSAS is true then why do we need to be watching and keeping our garments, i.e. living godly lives in the faith?

1 John 2:28 tells us “little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Consider also 2 Peter 3: 10-14

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Why are these admonitions to be ready at the coming of the Lord given to believers if OSAS is a Biblical doctrine?

Why did the Lord rebuke the believers in Laodicea, telling them that they were “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17)? Why did He threaten to spit the Laodicea congregation out of his mouth (Rev. 3:16) if indeed, OSAS is a true Biblical doctrine?

If OSAS were true biblical doctrine it would harmonize with Jesus’ message to the churches in Revelation. It does not.

God loves us and that is why He rebukes us, not to condemn us. Perpetual sin in the life of a believer will eventually bring about a hardened heart and lead a person away from the faith. This is why the writer of Hebrews says, “take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” and that is why he goes on to say, “exhort one another daily so that none of you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Paul tells us that we are to hold on to faith and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck (1 Timothy 1:9).

Can shipwrecked faith save us?

CONCLUSION 

If we embrace OSAS theology we are rejecting the New Testament admonitions that Israel’s disobedience in the wilderness serves as an example to us (Hebrews 3-4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12; Jude 1:3-7).

In 1 Timothy Paul speaks of Hymenaeus and Philetus “who have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and destroy the faith of some.

How is departing from the truth and destroying the faith of some consistent with OSAS doctrine?

In Galatians, Paul warns the believers that if they seek to be justified by the works of the Law that they will be cut off from Christ and will have fallen from grace.

How does this work with OSAS theology?

In 1 Corinthians 8:11 Paul speaks of a weak brother perishing because he is embolden to violate his conscience.

How does this work with OSAS theology?

The apostle Peter tells us, “when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get entangled and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. Peter then tells us, “It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”

Peter certainly did not think that it was impossible for a person to forsake the truth after He had come to the saving Knowledge of Christ. He later says, “I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:17-18 TLB).

Peter tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that we will not be carried away and lose our secure footing. We have secure footing in Christ if we abide in Him but if we go away from the truth in Christ we can lose that secure footing.

James also tells us “if someone among us (believers) wanders away from the truth and is brought back, we can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back (the one who fell into sin) will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

All the scriptures which tell us of God’s power, and faithfulness, and love to keep us are true. They are strength to us for He will never leave us or forsake us. He is faithful and these verses reveal God’s character. Yet, we must comply. We must continue in faith.

There is not one scripture in all of the New Testament which supports that we will be saved if we forsake Him. In fact the scripture tells us emphatically, if we deny Him, He will deny us. This is said to believers and not unbelievers.

“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us:  If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself “ (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

The Biblical view that we must continue is the faith isn’t bad news. God is faithful and He will keep us secure in Him so long as we trust Him. That is good news.

It is good new because God gives us the grace to serve Him faithfully if we will keep our trust in Him. God will always uphold His promises. If we do not cast away our confidence as the writer of Hebrews puts it, we will have great reward.