Knots Untied by JC Ryle (Available from Amazon or free here)
Now Ryle commends to us the Christian Sabbath, or Lord's day.
Firstly he looks at the authority on which the Sabbath stands:
(i) the history of creation;
(ii) the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai;
(iii) the writings of the Old Testament prophets;
(iv) the teaching of Jesus when he was on the earth;
(v) the writings of the apostles;
(vi) the practice of the apostles;
(vii) the pages of unfulfilled prophecy.
Secondly Ryle teaches us the purpose for which the Sabbath was appointed. The Sabbath is:
(i) good for man's body;
(ii) good for man's mind;
(iii) good for nations;
(iv) an unmixed good for man's soul.
Thirdly Ryle explains the manner in which the Sabbath ought to be kept:
(i) as a day of rest;
(ii) as holy.
Fourthly Ryle exposes some of the ways in which the Sabbath is profaned, both publicly and privately.
Personally, I had been dancing around this issue for years knowing how firmly the Reformers encouraged Sabbatarianism in documents like the Westminster Confession.
What finally made my mind up was reading the book edited by Don Carson, 'From Sabbath to the Lord's Day' (Available at Amazon). It really is excellent. Top flight scholars carefully go through the Biblical and historical data to see if there is a direct link between the Sabbath and the Lord's Day. And the conclusion is one that Ryle would disagree with...
These days, while I would encourage Christians the importance of worshipping God on the first day of the week, I would be very careful about insisting on Sunday as a Christian Sabbath that is akin to the Jewish Sabbath.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 15 (Pharisees and Sadducees).
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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