In the very heart of the law of God, there is a commandment that has been neglected by the majority of professed Christians in the world today. It is the largest of the Ten, yet it is mentioned by the Christian world the least. While it begins with the word “remember” it is seemingly forgotten. Even though it was spoken directly by God, in many Christian pulpits today this topic receives nothing but silence. Although it was written directly by God Himself, many pastors are trying to erase it.
Yet God still declares “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:1, 8-11)
In Exodus 20, God spoke the Sabbath commandment Himself, He wrote it on tablets of stone and again God declares in the New Testament “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”(Matthew 24:35 NIV) Based on the words of Jesus His commandments still stand. But could it be that we have forgotten the only commandment from Jesus that begins with the word “remember”?
Is keeping the Sabbath important, for modern New Testament Christians such as ourselves? If so what is required by the Lord in order to keep the Sabbath holy? Which day is the Lord’s day? And if we intentionally neglect God’s commandment, could it keep us out of heaven? Friends these are vitally important questions, yet the Bible has clear life giving answers! Let us study the Bible today to find the answers to these questions, but before we do so let us ask for the Lord’s help in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Today we have valid and important questions, but Lord we are so thankful that you have valid and clear answers. Guide us today Lord in the way we should go. Help us dear Lord, send your Holy Spirit to teach us your ways, and then empower us to follow your path wherever you lead us. Open our eyes dear Lord so that we may see wonderful things from your word today. Help us to follow you. May we have open hearts and open minds as we discover the answers to our important questions as we read directly fro your inspired word today. We thank you Lord for blessing us so much and hearing and answering our prayers. We pray all these things in the precious name of your son Jesus, amen.
Is keeping the Sabbath important for Christians today?
That is a very good question… Jesus gave us a good answer when He said
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)
God has graciously given us His commandments as a law of love. He knew that no joy could be found while in transgression to His law. Those who worship idols and break the first and second commandments are miserable for they do not know Jesus. Also those who violate say the seventh commandment and break their marriage vows also find themselves in a depressing state, for sin separates us from the God who loves us. Worst of all, sin cost the very life of God’s own Son. All this pain, all this death, all the world’s troubles were brought about because mankind thought that their way was better than God’s.
The Bible says that our greatest delight will be found in following the plan of Jesus. It is written..
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. ~ Psalm 40:8
And
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. ~ Psalm 1:1-2
And
If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken. ~ Isaiah 58:13-14
The Sabbath is about spending an entire day with Jesus. In each verse above, we are promised that we will delight ourselves in the LORD. But some claim the Sabbath was moved to the first day of the week (Sunday on most calendars), and yet others believe it should be kept as it was in the Bible, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday (the seventh day of the week on most calendars). Does the specific day matter? Or can we choose any day?
Think about a time in the past when you setup a date to meet with a special person. Let’s say one day you setup a date to meet with that special someone, I’m sure it was exciting just waiting for the time to come. Yet what if that person showed up one whole day late? I think you would like everyone be disappointed, after all you setup a special day, cleared your schedule, and expected a wonderful time. Or what if in the near future you vote for the next president of the United States, and that person wins the election. Then one day the new president calls you up and says they would like to spend an entire day with you, to thank you for your kind vote. That would be a once in a lifetime opportunity! However when the day came, something happened and you forgot to go to that appointment with the president. A once in a lifetime opportunity lost. I’m sure that it would be rather disappointing to know that you missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity with ,could we say the king of the United States?
Yet there is a King in heaven. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In Isaiah 58:13 He calls the Sabbath “my holy day”. Based on Isaiah 58, the seventh-day Sabbath is the Lord’s day. The Creator of the entire universe has set apart a day to spend with you. Shall we then miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity? Being one day late to that special meeting with the president wouldn’t work out, one day late would result in a missing out on that blessing. To miss out on that day with your future husband or wife, would also be even more disappointing. Yet the bridegroom is coming, but will we be ready? In fact, Jesus asked the question “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Genuine faith produces faithfulness. Loyalty and steadfastness to the commandments of God. “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4) More important than spending a day with the president, more important than even spending a day with that special someone, the Sabbath is a whole day with the lovely Jesus. This is the true and only acceptable motivation behind obedience to every law of God’s government. That motivation is love. This is why Jesus said “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) That is why we together in Christ should be passionate about the seventh day Sabbath.
But how are we to keep the Sabbath?
In the exact way that Jesus did. In the exact way that Jesus told us to. Isaiah 58:13-14 gives us some of the words of Jesus for the last sentence says “The mouth of the LORD has spoken.” In that passage we can find some helpful tips.
Imagine you make that appointment with the future president, but when that day came, instead of the new president sitting down at that table with you, Jesus came instead. Now that would be exciting!
What would you ask Him? What would you talk about? Would you excuse yourself and go shopping, or say thank you Jesus for your time but now I’m going to go watch a football game? No way! Not in a million years would we want to do so! Sports, shopping, facebook, text messaging and all these other distractions are normal on other days, but not on this special day! That is why Jesus said
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day…
Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD;”
It’s not that the Sabbath becomes a burden, it’s not that taking pleasure in normal routine activities is evil in themselves but rather as the verse says this special Sabbath day shall be a delight. What makes it so special? Because Jesus is right there with you. Because Jesus is right there, excusing our self and spending our time in secular work, shopping that can be done on another day, or other activities that distract our time with Jesus would be inappropriate. It’s hard if not nearly impossible to concentrate on God in a movie theater, in front of a television, or even in a busy market. Can you imagine Jesus sitting at a table and instead of someone talking to him, they are just watching a tv?
We definitely know what we wouldn’t do on that special day with Jesus. But what should we do? Various people have different opinions, but we are not to look to man for our doctrines, instead we are to look to Jesus. In Luke 4:14-16 it says “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.”
You never found Jesus in the carpenter shop on the Sabbath, but you did find Him in the church. As was His custom the verse says, every Saturday Jesus attended church. But Jesus desired more than just to attend church, His mission was to save souls. If we continue reading the Bible says
“And He (Jesus) was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
“ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” ~ Luke 4:17-19
On the Sabbath we found Jesus reading and preaching the word of God. As He was reading from the book of Isaiah He was “preaching the gospel to the poor”. Also Jesus healed people on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-14). Medical missionary work and acts of charity are something that glorifies God and can win people to Him and is in perfect harmony with the Sabbath. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4) These are just a handful of things that can be done on the Sabbath. Everything centers around worship. God is glorified when we help others, when we share the gospel, when we worship at church, when we study the Bible and when we spend time with others in a good Christian environment. These are just some of the things we can do on the Sabbath.
But how important is the Sabbath?
The Bible says… “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” ~ Hebrews 10:26-27
The book of Hebrews says if we know better and continue to live in rebellion, then we are living in willful rebellion towards God. By willfully and knowingly rejecting the commandment we reject its Author. Satan is well pleased when we attempt to justify and explain away our sins, for in doing so we show that our allegiance is with the leader of the rebellion. Friends the only sin God cannot forgive us of is the one we knowingly and willingly do not repent of. So surrendering our will to the Lord in all areas of our life is of critical importance to our salvation. Keeping the Sabbath is just as important as not worshiping idols, or stealing, or committing adultery, or lying or coveting, for the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. Just as the Israelite people were tested with the Sabbath right before they were to enter the promised land (Exodus 16:22-30), likewise God’s people in these last days will face that same test before entering the heavenly promised land. The Sabbath is the great test for this time. “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent”. (Acts 17:30 NIV)
Perhaps we may say that it was better to never know! But with more knowledge it is not a curse, but rather a blessing to live in accordance with the will of God. Jesus said “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”(John 15:10-11) God gives us His commandments not to be a burden but so that we may have joy. “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” ~ Revelation 22:14, Isaiah 56:2
Speaking of what is soon to come, in the book of Revelation chapters 13 & 14, there described only two classes of people. One large class in the majority, worships the beast and his image. The other smaller class worships the true Creator. The entire world is polarized into two classes and each claims to worship God….but one does it man’s way, and the other does it God’s way. In Revelation 14:6-12 is found God’s last day message of hope to the world. It begins stating…
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (Revelation 14:6-7)
The first angel’s message is a call to worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all that is in them. In the very heart of the Sabbath commandment is found “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:11). The Sabbath commandment is the only one out of the ten which focuses on God as creator. In essence, God’s last day message begins with a call back to the Sabbath. A call back to the very law of God.
The Bible tells us that in the world we live in now there are only two classes of people. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Romans 6:16, Matthew 6:24) In the last days, the Bible tells us that whom you obey is whom you worship. Despite the almost universal breaking of God’s law there is good news. Speaking of God’s last day people it says “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12) In the last days, God’s people will keep the commandments of God, including all of the Ten Commandments. This will be done “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”(Zechariah 4:6) It will be done by the grace and power of God alone, we must only choose to follow Him.
You see friend, God’s greatest desire is not just to forgive us of our sins, but to transform us into what we ought to be. His desire is to transform our characters into the lovely image of Jesus. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”(2 Corinthians 5:17) God has called you to be one of those people. Today, it is not I alone who am calling you to keep the Sabbath; God is calling you to keep the Sabbath. He is saying “My son, my daughter, I have been waiting for such a long time to spend that day I set apart for you. The Sabbath was made for man, I made it for you. If you choose to keep the Sabbath, men may forsake you, but “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 4:19, Revelation 22:14, 3:21 NKJV)
I invite you today friend, to beginning keeping the seventh day Sabbath, the only Sabbath that God sanctified and made holy. Today Jesus is saying to you “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If you love someone you would naturally spend time with them. And if you set an appointment to meet with someone you love, and they show up one day late, would it matter? God has sanctified the Sabbath day to spend time with us! How can we miss such an appointment!
The reality is God would never force someone to spend eternity with Him, if they refused to spend one day out of the week with Him. My friend I write this with the earnest prayer that by following the Lord’s commandments you draw closer to Jesus and enter His kingdom when He returns. Keeping the Sabbath requires bearing a cross. But Jesus has promised…“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:29-30
God’s last day people will “follow the Lamb wherever he goes”. (Revelation 14:4) That Lamb is Jesus. Now is the time to “choose this day whom ye will serve”. May you choose today to love the Lord with all your heart and mind and soul and strength by keeping His holy Sabbath. The Lord has promised to bless you if you do. Is that your prayer today? To follow Jesus, to keep His commandments of love and to spend that blessed Sabbath day with Him each week. If so I invite you to pray with me as we ask the Lord to help us.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I’m so thankful Lord that you love us so much. What great love is this that you the King of the universe, Creator and sustainer of all life would set apart a whole day to spend with us? What is man that you are mindful of him? We are overwhelmed Lord, by your compassion for us. Lord we praise you for opening our eyes so that we have seen new and wonderful truths from your word today. Help us to stand for your truth no matter what the world may say. Lord you gave everything for us at the cross may we give our time and strength and mind and heart to you today. May we choose to keep your Sabbath, the day that you set apart. Help us to find the right church, grant us the strength to stand for your commandments. Send your Holy Spirit to be with us each day, and Lord I just pray for a special blessing on each soul that is reading these words right now. Help us to keep your blessed Sabbath day and may we enter that heavenly promised land. Come soon Lord Jesus, we humbly ask and pray in Jesus name, amen.
Friend, I’m so thankful that you have chosen to follow Jesus. To find a Sabbath keeping church in your area you can use the following link…
http://www.adventistdirectory.org/
If you are unable to find a local Sabbath keeping church you can always contact us and we will try our best to help you out.
Do you have additional Sabbath questions? You can find Biblical answers at
May God bless you as you choose to follow Him!
God has called you to be one of those people. All throughout the Bible, God’s people were instructed to keep the seventh day Sabbath, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday as a memorial of God’s creative power. (Genesis 2:1-3, Matthew 5:17-18, Hebrews 4:4-9, Revelation 1:10). In fact even after Jesus died on the cross, the followers of Christ kept the seventh day Sabbath (see Luke 23:52-56, Acts 18:4).
Today, it is not I alone who am calling you to keep the Sabbath; God is calling you to keep the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is the decisive issue that is covered from Genesis to Revelation. The false sabbath is of the beast, which will you honor?
Sir, which is the sabbath? SATURDAY or SUNDAY
Hi Akeem,
The Bible says “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” (Exodus 20) Which means based on the calendar that would be on Saturday. For thousands of years God’s people celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday, the entire Jewish nation still does. There is a worldwide Christian denomination that still keeps the seventh-day Sabbath called Seventh-day Adventists. I would recommend visiting the Seventh-day Adventist website there is a church locator as well (http://www.adventistdirectory.org/findbytype.aspx?EntityType=C). May the Lord continue to bless you as you study His word.
Sir,but most churches worldwide still observe sundays as the sabbath or day of worship.what do you have to say about this?
Hi Akeem,
You are correct that most people do not worship on the Sabbath, and that at this time there are genuine Christians who worship on Sunday who have not had the light regarding the Sabbath. But when tradition and the commandments of God clash, we as the apostle Peter must say “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain “Thus saith the Lord” in its support.
It should not surprise us that the religion of Christ is different from the world. During the days of Elijah, Elijah was faithful to God when the land of Israel was in almost universal apostasy. During the days of Christ, Jesus and His followers were scorned by the religious leaders of the time. During the days of Noah, Noah and his family had a faith different than that of the world. And Jesus has said “as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:37) Today Jesus says to us “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
What if after going to church or studying the word of God on the sabbath day, I decide to do the laundry or wash my clothes, prepare my meal,sweep my rooms,iron my clothes etc is it still okay?
Hi Akeem,
That is a good question, thankfully the Bible has a good answer. Directly in the fourth commandment it says “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.” (Exodus 20:8-10) So here God who spoke these words (Exodus 20:1) tells us that we are to lay aside the cares and everyday burdens of life and rest of the Sabbath day. While God commands that we are not to wash or iron our clothes, clean the dishes etc on the Sabbath God never takes away something without giving us something better. And that something better is an entire day with Jesus. Jesus also said “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12). Some of the things Jesus did on the Sabbath was attending church (Luke 4:16), sharing a meal with fellow believers, healing others (Matthew 12:9-13), witnessing, it is also a day to spend with our family. The sick and suffering require care and attention upon the Sabbath, as well as upon the other six days of the week; and it may be necessary for their comfort to prepare warm food and drinks upon the Sabbath. In such instances, it is no violation of the fourth commandment to make them as comfortable as possible. The great Lawgiver is a God of compassion, as well as of justice.
One wonderful thing is that God has told us that if we keep the Sabbath the way He intended it, it will be our delight (see Isaiah 58:13-14). Like Jesus we will say “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8) May the Sabbath become your delight and may the Lord bless you as you choose to follow Him.
What if my boss ask me to come to work on sabbath day, what happens? Secondly,let’s say I’m a student and I have lectures/ classes to attend OR an exam/test to write or sit for on the sabbath day, what also happens ? Thirdly, i posted a question on the 11th of october concerning the article you wrote on poker and gambling and up till this moment I’m yet to receive any answer from you sir. Thanks
Hi Akeem,
Regarding your boss asking you to work on the Sabbath, that has happened to me before. I politely told my boss that I would be glad to work on Sunday but cannot work from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday as that is the Sabbath. Even if our boss threatens to endanger our job, which in many countries is illegal, we need not be afraid. God has promised “those who honor Me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30). Are we afraid of our boss more than God? Thus says the Lord “For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10) God owns everything and he will always be able to provide for you if you are faithful to Him. At one time in my life I lost my job possibly partially because a few months earlier I told my boss I could no longer work on the Sabbath. 3 weeks after I lost my job God gave me another job, with better pay, and for one month I was receiving my new job’s salary and severance from the previous employment. Nothing is impossible with God, trust Him.
Regarding schooling, if I gave you the option on the Sabbath to spend time with Jesus or spend time in a classroom with an instructor, which would you choose? Certainly we would not turn down an appointment with Jesus. My wife grew up in Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim country in the world. They required school attendance on the Sabbath. She did not attend school that day. As a child she was punished by the instructors, having to cut grass out in the sun with a machete, as a young child. It was painful for her, but it is better to suffer for the truth’s sake than to sin against God. Jesus said “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
Hi Akeem,
Sorry for a very outdated response, but hopefully by now you are strong in the faith! I have some suggestions regarding Sabbath keeping and schooling. As a university student, it may be hard to not attend classes or exams falling on the Sabbath, but there are always options. You could talk to your coordinator of your course for that year and ask for special exceptions…this is regarding exams, however, with lectures/classes falling on the Sabbath – depending on your walk with Jesus and how much value He has in your life can only determine your attendance.
I know my sister had a subject which fell on the Sabbath and she communicated with her coordinator for that subject and explained her belief in Jesus and keeping the Sabbath…and guess what?! Even though she was a little weary, she prayed earnestly to God and He was there to help her. She dropped the subject for the first semester and received a reply from her coordinator…who happened to be a Christian and said she was okay with that as God is the Almighty and deserves praise from all His flocks!! And now, the subject for the following semester will be during Fridays at daytime so she will be able to attend. God will always see you through if you seek Him with all your heart. He loves you and will never let you down. All the best and God Bless!
Sir,thank you for the answers so far but i hope I’m not in any way bothering you because i belief i still have more questions to ask. First, apart from the jewish community, it seems the seventh day adventist churches happens to be the only christian denomination worldwide that worships on the sabbath(saturday).what advice do you have for new converts or born again christians that resides in an environment where churches that worship on the sabbath(saturday) like yours are far away from them or are hard to come by, but alternatively are being surrounded by several bible believing churches that worship on sundays. Secondly,for a christian,what are the right steps to take towards choosing a life partner, how do i know the lady or man that is the will of God for my life,is prayer alone enough for me to know the will of God for my life,do I have to first make friends with the man or woman I eventually wish to settle down with before going to the altar. Although this question may sound sensitive, but its the TRUTH— if you know what i mean because i believe divorce is not encourage in christ. I will like you address this issue or maybe if you can possibly write an article on this. Thank you and God bless you sir.
Hi Akeem,
It is a blessing to answer questions regarding the Bible so no problem at all. Regarding your second question I encourage you to study Proverbs 31:10-31. Above all things, Jesus tells us that in searching for a spouse, moral character is of greater worth than any other quality.
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.” ~ Proverbs 31:30, 8:13
You also asked an important question “do I have to first make friends with the man or woman I eventually wish to settle down with before going to the altar?” The Bible also asks the question an important question “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3) If you desire to make a lifetime commitment to someone, you must first know that you are both walking in the same direction. And in order to know that, you must know the person and become their friend before you marry them. It is written ” Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25) Jesus wants to know us, He wants a relationship with us, we would not think of getting baptized before we knew Christ, likewise you should not think about getting married before you know your spouse.
“Weigh every sentiment, and watch every development of character in the one with whom you think to link your life destiny. Examine carefully to see if your married life would be happy or inharmonious and wretched. Let the questions be raised, Will this union help me heavenward? Will it increase my love for God? And will it enlarge my sphere of usefulness in this life? If these reflections present no drawback, then in the fear of God move forward.” ~ Adventist Home p. 45
Of course to walk together and be agreed, you must serve the same master. Jesus said “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30). One of Satan’s greatest ways of ruining the usefulness of Christians to get them to unite in marriage to someone who is not a follower of Christ. Satan tempts many on this point. That special someone may be beautiful or handsome, intelligent, fun to be around, but if they do not know Jesus, they serve another master. We are therefore commanded, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.” ~ 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
To disregarding this commandment will potentially bring disaster. There is much more regarding this important matter. I can recommend fully all the counsel found in these chapters…
The Great Decision
True love or infatuation
Common Courtship Practices
Forbidden marriages
May the Lord continue to guide you, I will also try to answer your first question regarding churches tomorrow, sorry for the delay. ~ Will
Regarding your first question about churches. There are many people who because of distance or health cannot attend a Sabbath keeping church, yet there are still some options. You can watch a live stream of Sacramento, California’s service online here. The stream starts around 9:40AM Saturday Pacific Standard Time. If that time doesn’t work well, there are archives of the Sabbath school service found here . There also is a very large archive of church sermons at http://www.amazingfacts.org and https://www.audioverse.org/english/ . In the Bible often churches were started in homes and this also can be an option for you.
But why not attend a church that doesn’t keep the Sabbath? There are good people in those churches. I came from a church that met on Sunday before I learned about the Sabbath. But later I learned that much of what is commonly taught in these churches is incorrect. Not just about the 4th commandment Sabbath, but about prophecy, what happens when we die, hell, and many other subjects. Besides these things, the primary reason not to attend is because the Bible actually tells us not to. In Revelation 18:4 the Bible says “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” Here the Bible warns us not to go into a spiritual last day entity called Babylon. Because for one by going into such a location, we would “share in her sins”, that is we would be breaking God’s commandments with her, one of those commandments being the fourth commandment Sabbath. Now that verse may not make much sense to you right now. But in order to understand just exactly who Babylon is I recommend this study and the entire series. There is danger in hearing truth mixed with error, for that is often what the enemy uses to deceive others. In order to explain in more detail or if some of those resources don’t help I can go into much more detail and perhaps write an article or two if you have a certain topic you would like covered. But I hope that is a starting point and was helpful. May the Lord continue to bless you as you follow Him.
Sir, you said we should make friends with the man or woman we intend to settle down with, but in so doing,don’t you think its dangerous even if the man or woman we want to settle down with is a born again christian?
There is danger in entering into temptation during the courting process. What the world calls love is usually nothing more than lust. Genuine “ love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6) While there is danger in entering into temptation during the courting process there is even great danger in linking the entire rest of your life to one whom you are not matched. There are thousands that are mated but not matched. The books of heaven are burdened with the woes, the wickedness, and the abuse that lie hidden under the marriage mantle. This is why I would warn the young who are of a marriageable age to make haste slowly in the choice of a companion. The path of married life may appear beautiful and full of happiness; but why may not you be disappointed as thousands of others have been?
Who you choose to marry will affect your spirituality. It could mean the difference between eternal life and death. How so? A spouse has a powerful influence. Consider the example of Herodias with Herod in the New Testament. The Bible tells us that “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” (Mark 6:20) But the vile Herodias wanted to kill John the Baptist because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” (Mark 6:19, 18) Matthew 14 records the awful result of Herodias suggestion, “ So she, having been prompted by her mother (Herodias), said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.” (Matthew 14:8) Jesus said “among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11) Because of the cunning and deceit of Herodias, Herod murdered the greatest of human prophets. It was through the influence of Herodias that Herod silenced the voice of reason and the voice of the Holy Spirit in his life. His wife lead him to the path of destruction. So it was also with Ahab and Jezebel. Genesis 3 teaches us that despite the influence of others we are ultimately responsible, yet the influence of our spouse can have a tremendous impact on us.
It is often the case that persons before marriage have little opportunity to become acquainted with each other’s habits and disposition; and, so far as everyday life is concerned, they are virtually strangers when they unite their interests at the altar. Many find, too late, that they are not adapted to each other, and lifelong wretchedness is the result of their union. By rushing into a marriage without first knowing that individual, who knows whether you would be marrying a Jezebel or a Herodias? Likewise, often the wife and children suffer from the indolence and inefficiency or the vicious habits of the husband and father.
If those who are contemplating marriage would not have miserable, unhappy reflections after marriage, they must make it a subject of serious, earnest reflection now. This step taken unwisely is one of the most effective means of ruining the usefulness of young men and women. Life becomes a burden, a curse. No one can so effectually ruin a woman’s happiness and usefulness, and make life a heartsickening burden, as her own husband; and no one can do one hundredth part as much to chill the hopes and aspirations of a man, to paralyze his energies and ruin his influence and prospects, as his own wife. It is from the marriage hour that many men and women date their success or failure in this life, and their hopes of the future life. Yet marriage can be a great blessing. It was one of the things Jesus created before sin entered the world to bless mankind. May the Lord guide you Akeem as you follow His leading.
I’m a bit confused, I taught courtship comes after we have seen the man or woman that’s the will of God for our lives.
Or better still sir, to avoid confusion or mistake, what are the step by step procedures that young men/ladies of marriageable age should take in determining or knowing the man/lady that’s the will of God for their lives before going to the altar.
You say that Saturday is the sabbath but when the bible was written we were not following the Gregorian calendar, we were following the Hebrew calendar which would put sabbaths on different Gregorian calendar days.
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for your comment. Actually the days of the week stayed the same when they switched calendars. So when the Gregorian calendar was introduced they did not suddenly jump from say Tuesday to Friday. Let me provide some evidence to help…
1 – Countries which have not adopted the Gregorian calendar include Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Iran and Afghanistan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar) and their days of the week are the same as ours.
2 – I was asked the same question by a well educated Jewish man, “How do you know Saturday is still the same Saturday for the Sabbath?” I smiled and asked him would the entire Jewish nation forget which day Saturday was? They still keep Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.
3 – Christians and Catholics also mark Easter on a Sunday because it was a Sunday when Jesus resurrected. Certainly these three religious groups containing billions of individuals over time would not all forget what day of the week it was.
4- Besides evidence in Christianity and Judaism, in many languages the word for Saturday means Sabbath (http://www.sabbathtruth.com/free-resources/article-library/id/912/which-day-of-the-week.aspx).
5- There is no record of the days of the week changing when the calendar changed – more info here – http://www.sabbathtruth.com/free-resources/article-library/id/912/which-day-of-the-week.aspx
Hope that helps!