Buying groceries on sabbath

[Overaged]

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Is it OK to for a believer to wish he could sin?

It's all a matter of perspective. I can tell you that it's not ok, but believing in something does not get rid of our desires.

I have to be honest, and I still desire to eat shrimp and clams. I like the taste, but I understand the consequences and I don't take out a map and run to the nearest seafood place, because my priorities and loyalties overshadow that desire.

This is quite a lengthy post - and all in an attempt to defend the "right" or "desire" to think how we want to about women. I don't think all your semantic strivings are cutting it here. No matter who you are or what you believe; it is stinking thinking to believe you can look at, and think about women any way you want and simply justify it by saying it is a "desire" we all have.

When I was single; I used to love going to a different church every Sabbath; and the first thing I would do when I got to the sanctuary door is to scan the entire sanctuary for a cute girl to sit beside. Of course; I would pretend I was just looking for an empty seat, but my eagle eye never missed an opportunity. So was I "sinning then? I doubt it. But if I went into that sanctuary, and looked at so & so's wife the same way, with the same ideas; knowing she was married, then that is not right. I would come home from that church with a busted nose and a black eye; and maybe not from the husband!!

People everywhere know what right and whats wrong in terms of how to think about and how to approach the opposite sex. It's certainly not rocket science to determine that our thoughts or actions are innapropriate...some of us need to quit pretending that everything is OK under certain circumstances.

[Overaged]

Not a reply, but an observation......

Since this is NOT a religious topic in the general Townhall and we are NOT talking about the sabbath or any other religious topic, sin, etc,....maybe we should just get back to buying some food to eat!!! Cheerios or steak, it whats for dinner!!

[BobRyan]

Forks over knives

[BobRyan]

This cycle is a guilt and shame cycle that at a point in the addiction history, becomes self perpetuating and makes it difficult to break.

The church, instead of helping people to break out of the cycle, does completely opposite. It intensifies it. It makes them feel worthless, and thus dependent on their addiction for "escape" from that feeling of weakness.

It tells them that "God knows what you do in secret.

1. The Church tells us to "Read the Bible". The Bible says "no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man and God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond that which you are able - but will with the temptation provide the way of escape".

2. The video was more about a couple not dealing with a certain sin and having to choose between either destroying their marriage with it - or declaring sin to be "ok after all".

While I do not agree with destroying their marriage as if that is a "solution" I also do not think they are right to go down the "ok after all" path.

in Christ,

Bob

[M. T. Cross]

[quote name='Overagedlooked at so & so's wife the same way' date=' with the same ideas; knowing she was married, then that is not right. I would come home from that church with a busted nose and a black eye; and maybe not from the husband!!

[/quote']

Right there is the dead giveaway that you are not at all lying about being from Alberta

[fccool]

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This is quite a lengthy post - and all in an attempt to defend the "right" or "desire" to think how we want to about women. I don't think all your semantic strivings are cutting it here. No matter who you are or what you believe; it is stinking thinking to believe you can look at, and think about women any way you want and simply justify it by saying it is a "desire" we all have.

You obviously did not read what I've said, and decided to go on assuming what I'm talking about.

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When I was single; I used to love going to a different church every Sabbath; and the first thing I would do when I got to the sanctuary door is to scan the entire sanctuary for a cute girl to sit beside. Of course; I would pretend I was just looking for an empty seat, but my eagle eye never missed an opportunity. So was I "sinning then? I doubt it. But if I went into that sanctuary, and looked at so & so's wife the same way, with the same ideas; knowing she was married, then that is not right. I would come home from that church with a busted nose and a black eye; and maybe not from the husband!!

Can people read minds from where you are? It would explain my previous observation.

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People everywhere know what right and whats wrong in terms of how to think about and how to approach the opposite sex. It's certainly not rocket science to determine that our thoughts or actions are inappropriate...some of us need to quit pretending that everything is OK under certain circumstances.

I certainly don't think that it's ideal to fantasize about wives of other people, especially if you know that they are wives of other people. The issue becomes that of honest humanity rather than super-spiritual mask. I'm not the one pretending here.

[fccool]

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1. The Church tells us to "Read the Bible". The Bible says "no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man and God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond that which you are able - but will with the temptation provide the way of escape".

Sure, I don't disagree. And....?

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2. The video was more about a couple not dealing with a certain sin and having to choose between either destroying their marriage with it - or declaring sin to be "ok after all".

Whether you agree or disagree with their view of sin is irrelevant to the point that Church is not making it easier for people to overcome their addiction by means of "you should be ashamed" type of talk... which you keep on keeping on with.

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While I do not agree with destroying their marriage as if that is a "solution" I also do not think they are right to go down the "ok after all" path.

Sure... they would not have to if people in their church would be more encouraging and understanding, and honest.

[Overaged]

I didn't say "fantasize" anywhere in my post to you. You are clutching at straws..

[Overaged]

[quote name='Overagedlooked at so & so's wife the same way' date=' with the same ideas; knowing she was married, then that is not right. I would come home from that church with a busted nose and a black eye; and maybe not from the husband!!

[/quote']

Right there is the dead giveaway that you are not at all lying about being from Alberta

[fccool]

I didn't say "fantasize" anywhere in my post to you. You are clutching at straws..

What were you talking about? We were talking about fantasies being "sinful"

[cardw]

So there you have it. Which person should I believe?

How I observe the Sabbath and what I think about and a host of other requirements have a multitude of views and explanations.

That would be alright if my eternal life didn't depend on it.

According to John and Overaged fccool's views would cause him to be lost because they know exactly what god is thinking.

fccol's views are very well explained and rational, but they aren't Biblical according to John and Overaged.

Overaged says it's really simple to figure out if you're stepping over the line sexually because everyone knows according his ability to read everyone's minds.

What a mess!

You would think if these were life and death issues it would be a lot clearer.

All of you are welcome to continue to try and figure it out, but I'm done with feeling guilty for every little thing.

Maybe you can understand why Christianity makes people crazy from this conversation.

[Pockey]

Coming back from example of my dad's view of it, the only true way to overcome all of this silliness is to concentrate on certain goals, and approach these desires with honesty... without restraint.

I understand that you're upset with the church in your experience with these matters. From what you wrote, it sounds like the church was instilling some type of fear in you regarding lust and it drove you to the very thing they were advising against. What I didn't quite get was what happened in your mind that changed. You said at some point you stopped fearing God and the "porn issue went away." What realization led you to stop fearing God regarding this issue? Just to clarify, did you mean that you stopped looking at porn?

Can you expound upon what you mean by approaching these desires without restraint? What to you is silly (in regards to the above quote)? If you could advise the church, what would you tell them that you wish they had told you? What would you tell your child? Would it be in a similar vein to what your father told you?

[Overaged]

So there you have it. Which person should I believe?

How I observe the Sabbath and what I think about and a host of other requirements have a multitude of views and explanations.

That would be alright if my eternal life didn't depend on it.

According to John and Overaged fccool's views would cause him to be lost because they know exactly what god is thinking.

fccol's views are very well explained and rational, but they aren't Biblical according to John and Overaged.

Overaged says it's really simple to figure out if you're stepping over the line sexually because everyone knows according his ability to read everyone's minds.

What a mess!

You would think if these were life and death issues it would be a lot clearer.

All of you are welcome to continue to try and figure it out, but I'm done with feeling guilty for every little thing.

Maybe you can understand why Christianity makes people crazy from this conversation.

[cardw]

Who has Christianity made "crazy?"

The Bible tells us what God is thinking; we can only tell you what the Bible says, not anything else:

You're only telling me what YOU think the Bible says. And you haven't even attempted to explain what Ellen White means in her statement on the will.

If it's all so clear why does everyone have a different opinion of what it means?

This is what is crazy making.

You basically communicate your message poorly and then add a death penalty for not understanding it.

You end up with 40,000 different versions of Christian belief, each claiming that it is the only way, and then ask people to sort that mess out.

Unless you bury your head in the sand and ignore vast amounts of inconsistent claims one is going to go crazy.

You seem to take the bury your head in the sand and ignore whatever doesn't fit into your particular box.

[Overaged]

Originally Posted By: Overaged

Who has Christianity made "crazy?"

The Bible tells us what God is thinking; we can only tell you what the Bible says, not anything else:

You're only telling me what YOU think the Bible says. And you haven't even attempted to explain what Ellen White means in her statement on the will.

If it's all so clear why does everyone have a different opinion of what it means?

This is what is crazy making.

You basically communicate your message poorly and then add a death penalty for not understanding it.

You end up with 40,000 different versions of Christian belief, each claiming that it is the only way, and then ask people to sort that mess out.

Unless you bury your head in the sand and ignore vast amounts of inconsistent claims one is going to go crazy.

You seem to take the bury your head in the sand and ignore whatever doesn't fit into your particular box.

But I didn't give you my opinion...always on a tangent, eh?

[cardw]

But I didn't give you my opinion...always on a tangent, eh?

I don't even know what you're talking about.

[Tom Wetmore]

I don't even know what you're talking about.

And that is a very succinct statement of a rational reaction to the over 400 posts on this topic.

It seems you are not alone in the understanding of what is being talked about. It seems some with the most attempts to contribute have the least.

[Overaged]

cardw stole that line from me

[fccool]

Quote:

I understand that you're upset with the church in your experience with these matters. From what you wrote, it sounds like the church was instilling some type of fear in you regarding lust and it drove you to the very thing they were advising against. What I didn't quite get was what happened in your mind that changed. You said at some point you stopped fearing God and the "porn issue went away." What realization led you to stop fearing God regarding this issue? Just to clarify, did you mean that you stopped looking at porn?

I think that it was a realization that God is much more mature and bigger than people who claim to know Him and explain Him. What was happening to me, and the fixation was primarily due to guilt and fear, because the problem was blown out of the proportion in my own mind, and thus actually made me believe that I have no control over it, while I've had full control.

Once I came to realization that porn is just of people videotaping themselves having sex, and that playing it in reverse has the same exact effect... it became silly and stupid. I can't believe that I was stressing out over watching it. I was curious, and that curiosity, coupled with fear, prohibition, and thrill seeking ... it was pushed into obsession. It should never have been if I was dealt with honestly. Porn will only destroy you if it's made into something larger than life, and that's exactly what church does.

Imagine telling a little kid that he will die if he will miss a free throw during a basketball game. If he would not die, he would be a failure for life. That's what church does with issues of sexuality and misrepresenting God in this situation.

Quote:

What to you is silly (in regards to the above quote)? If you could advise the church, what would you tell them that you wish they had told you? What would you tell your child? Would it be in a similar vein to what your father told you?

Silly is the approach of Church to make porn into larger than life... in fact at times it becomes "larger than God" in minds of some people. The same with sex. It becomes something abnormal and devious to talk about in any context. It becomes a taboo that you are left to explore as a kid.

My advice to church would be... stop lying to kids, and stop lying to yourself. Stop telling them that they will turn into Jefrfrey Dahmer if they watch pornography. Pornography is just a video of people having sex. That's all it is. It's exciting to watch for young people, because it's something that's kept secret from them. Thus, it becomes "special" and "exciting". Then coupled with fear and guilt, it enters the cycle of reinforced addiction. If it was properly and adequately explained, shown and demonstrated in proper context... it would not be a matter of obsession. It would be normal human behavior that can be contextualized with proper ideals and consequences. It should not be the "biggest secret" that adults are keeping from them.

Yet instead people grow up with idea that sexuality is taboo, and that it's wrong in any visual context of it outside of medical drawings. There's really no difference between a medical drawing demonstrating human sexuality, and that of pornographic nature. That's why the issue is so stupid. Sex should not be shown as larger than it is. It's a relatively insignificant part of human life, when it comes to time spent during the activity. Sexuality should be viewed as natural progression of humans towards forming a family.

I find it absolutely ludicrous that it would be wrong to do before the wedding night, and would be somehow right after. It's purely a formality that's derived from tradition. In reality sex is a consummation of committed relationship. In itself it is the "wedding ceremony". I'm not saying we should abolish traditional wedding. Keep it if you like, but it sort of does the same for marriage as Christmas does for Christ. It's an adopted pagan tradition that takes marriage from personal relationship between two people into the public arena and even legal arena where it does not belong.

Church should encourage discussing sexuality more openly, and not in a form of regurgitated mantra, but in form of a rational conversation. Unfortunately, church today ignores the manner (probably thinking that parents are doing a good job, which they hopefully do) and when they do discuss it, it's framed in context of "shame on you" and "you should not be doing that as a Christian" and "God is angry with you". It's not really helpful and it only perpetuates the problem.

[Overaged]

Imagine telling a little kid that he will die if he will miss a free throw during a basketball game. If he would not die, he would be a failure for life. That's what church does with issues of sexuality and misrepresenting God in this situation.

[CoAspen]

Hmmmm....buying groceries.....pornography, who knew what buying groceries would do to a person! Stay away from the store...please!!!!

[Overaged]

Hmmmm....buying groceries.....pornography, who knew what buying groceries would do to a person! Stay away from the store...please!!!!

Ha ha; yes, so true.

[fccool]

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That is a ridiculous rationalized comparison. No thinking adult would do this; and this is a whole lot different than telling a kid to stay away from porn.

Exactly. This comparison is ridiculous, because it's ridiculous to perpetrate a mantra that watching two people having sex on a tape will destroy people's lives. What destroys their lives is the guilt, shame and addiction that results from irrational overflowing of the problem. It should not be encouraged, but it should be properly contextualized.

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Porn should be taboo to everyone; especially kids. Try exposing kids to porn and then having someone tell the police all about it and see if you can still accuse the church in so ridiculous a vein.

You don't have to expose kids to porn. The modern media does a fairly good job of it. And the more you try to keep it away from them, the more shocked and excited they will be once they see it. I don't advocate playing porn tapes in front of your kids. I do advocate proper education, not merely verbal, but likewise visual... that would prepare and contextualize pornography and sexuality.

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You are correct about one thing. Porn does become larger than life - larger than God, with some people. But the Church has nothing to do with that. If you are into such garbage; that would be your own fault.

I find the above comment quite trenchant in light that it's not something people just want to have. No one wants porn addiction. It's a horrible thing to experience when certain triggers put one through things that one has to suppress and struggle with in order to throw your body back into normal and functioning state.

The above comment certainly shows that you have very little genuine understanding of the issue and you are merely interested in "rights and wrongs" of it. You are not interested in helping people who struggle with it in a way that goes beyond "I'll pray for you" or "Let me give you a sermon on why pornography is wrong and why you should be pure".

I could send you to people who "of their own fault" got sucked into this cycle and where only able to break away from it once they left the church. But, my guess is that you see it as a fault of their own. Very comforting thought.... not.

[John317]

I just bought groceries at sabbath because currently i am bodybuilding. However i don t know if God is okay with that. What did EGW had to say about buying on sabbath?

We should use the days before the Sabbath to buy the food we intend to eat on the Sabbath. If, for some reason beyond our control, we find ourselves without food on the Sabbath, the example of Christ shows that He doesn't expect us to go without eating anything.

Here are some key Ellen White statements on the way we should keep the Sabbath:

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Before the day of fasting ended, the people still further manifested their determination to return unto the Lord. With one accord, all pledged themselves to cease the desecration of the Sabbath. Nehemiah did not at this time, as at a later date, exercise his authority to prevent heathen traders from coming into Jerusalem on the Sabbath, for the sale of provisions and other articles; but to save the people from yielding to temptation, he engaged them, by a solemn covenant, not to transgress the Sabbath law by purchasing of those venders, hoping that this would discourage them, and put an end to their traffic. {ST, January 10, 1884 par. 17}

If it was right for David to satisfy his hunger by eating of the bread that had been set apart to a holy use, then it was right for the disciples to supply their need by plucking the grain upon the sacred hours of the Sabbath. Again, the priests in the temple performed greater labor on the Sabbath than upon other days. The same labor in secular business would be sinful; but the work of the priests was in the service of God. They were performing those rites that pointed to the redeeming power of Christ, and their labor was in harmony with the object of the Sabbath. But now Christ Himself had come. The disciples, in doing the work of Christ, were engaged in God's service, and that which was necessary for the accomplishment of this work it was right to do on the Sabbath day. {DA 285.2}

God has given men six days wherein to labor, and He requires that their own work be done in the six working days. Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on the Sabbath, the sick and suffering are at all times to be cared for; but unnecessary labor is to be strictly avoided. "Turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and . . . honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure." Isaiah 58:13. Nor does the prohibition end here. "Nor speaking thine own words," says the prophet. Those who discuss business matters or lay plans on the Sabbath are regarded by God as though engaged in the actual transaction of business. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character. And the commandment includes all within our gates. The inmates of the house are to lay aside their worldly business during the sacred hours. All should unite to honor God by willing service upon His holy day. {PP 307, 308}

[En route from Colorado to Battle Creek] Sabbath, November 8, 1873. Traveled on Sabbath, Regretfully. [sEE TESTIMONIES, VOL. 6, P. 360.]--We rested well on the car during the night. We were unwilling to report ourselves on the cars this morning, but circumstances connected with the cause and work of God demand our presence at the General Conference. We could not delay. If we were doing our own business we should feel it a breach of the fourth commandment to travel on the Sabbath. We engaged in no common conversation. We endeavored to keep our minds in a devotional frame and we enjoyed some of the presence of God while we deeply regretted the necessity of traveling upon the Sabbath.--Manuscript 13, 1873. {3SM 265.1}

[sydney, N.S.W., Australia] February 4, 1893. Spoke in the Morning, Boarded Ship in the Afternoon.-- We rode in the cab to the church in Sydney, and I spoke from Hebrews 11 upon faith. The Lord strengthened me by His grace. I felt much strengthened and blessed. The Holy Spirit was upon me. Strength, both physical and spiritual, was given me in large measure. . . . {3SM 265.2}

In the afternoon at two o'clock we stepped on board the steamer to take the journey we long dreaded. All our luggage had been stored away on Friday. We dislike very much to travel on the Sabbath but the work must be done in giving the message to the world and we can keep our minds and hearts uplifted to God and can hide in Jesus. When we cannot control these matters we must leave all with our heavenly Father. If our trust be in God He will help us.--Manuscript 76, 1893. {3SM 265.3}

At nine o'clock, by appointment, I met the committee to talk with them in regard to the way of observing the Sabbath, and the elements in the church that had been tolerated and had disfigured the work and brought the truth into disrepute. This influence, unless firmly dealt with, would be the means of turning many souls from the truth. I spoke very decidedly, in the fear of God, and I left no chance for any misunderstanding, I assure you. {21MR 340.2}

There is need of a Sabbath reform among us, who profess to observe God's holy rest-day. Some discuss their business matters and lay plans on the Sabbath, and God looks upon this in the same light as though they engaged in the actual transaction of business. Others who are well acquainted with the Bible evidences that the seventh day is the Sabbath, enter into partnership with men who have no respect for God's holy day. A Sabbath-keeper cannot allow men in his employ, paid by his money, to work on the Sabbath. If, for the sake of gain, he allows the business in which he has an interest to be carried on on the Sabbath by his unbelieving partner, he is equally guilty with the unbeliever; and it is his duty to dissolve the relation, however much he may lose by so doing. Men may think they cannot afford to obey God, but they cannot afford to disobey him. Those who are careless in their observance of the Sabbath will suffer great loss. {RH, March 18, 1884 par. 7}

The camp meetings at Selma was a precious meeting to all who really hungered and thirsted after righteousness. Those whose minds were placed upon worldly interests, were not benefited; but, I fear were made worse; for their hearts were open to temptation. On the Sabbath I was pained to the soul to hear, by the side of my tent, an earnest conversation in regard to houses and lands, and the prospect of property's rising in value. I thought it must be those not of our faith, who were thus engaged in talking on worldly matters on the Sabbath day; but looking from my tent, I saw it was one of our brethren and another man who were occupied in this way. This brother should have been wholly in earnest, that the meeting might be a blessing to Selma; but alas! his heart and mind were on temporal, worldly things. While claiming to be a Sabbath-keeper, he was doing business with mind and heart and voice. Says the Scripture, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." {RH, June 26, 1888 par. 10}

Many are becoming careless and irreverent concerning the Sabbath; but if we would have the blessing pronounced that is to be pronounced upon the obedient, it will be necessary that we observe the Sabbath more strictly. Even in traveling upon the cars and steamers, we are to set the right example before our children and youth. It may be necessary for us to travel on the Sabbath in order to reach the churches who need our help, and to give them the message that God would have them hear; but we should secure our tickets, and make all other arrangements on some other day, if it is unavoidable and if we must travel upon the cars or steamboats. When traveling on the cars or boats on the Sabbath day, we should withdraw ourselves from undesirable company, and commune with God. But if through the providence of God, we have an opportunity to speak a word in regard to the truth to those who are in our company, we should improve the opportunity. If any one is suffering, and we can relieve their pain, we should put into exercise the wisdom and knowledge God has given us in doing it. But we need not engage in conversation concerning business matters. We need to be always learning in the school of Christ in order that we may be teachers. Every day our obligation is proportional to our ability. God requires heart-service. He requires that we should be consecrated to him at all times and in all places. {SpTA03 42.3}

Continued

[John317]

Continued

Ellen White on Sabbath keeping:

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God has spoken, and He means that man shall obey. He does not inquire if it is convenient for him to do so. The Lord of life and glory did not consult His convenience or pleasure when He left His station of high command to become a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, accepting ignominy and death in order to deliver man from the consequence of his disobedience. Jesus died, not to save man in his sins, but from his sins. Man is to leave the error of his ways, to follow the example of Christ, to take up his cross and follow Him, denying self, and obeying God at any cost. {CCh 269.4}

Circumstances will not justify anyone in working upon the Sabbath for the sake of worldly profit. If God excuses one man, He may excuse all. Why may not Brother L, who is a poor man, work upon the Sabbath to earn means for a livelihood when he might by so doing be better able to support his family? Why may not other brethren, or all of us, keep the Sabbath only when it is convenient to do so? The voice from Sinai makes answer: "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Exodus 20:9,10. {CCh 270.1}

Your age does not excuse you from obeying the divine commands. Abraham was sorely tested in his old age. The words of the Lord seemed terrible and uncalled-for to the stricken old man, yet he never questioned their justice or hesitated in his obedience. He might have pleaded that he was old and feeble, and could not sacrifice the son who was the joy of his life. He might have reminded the Lord that this command conflicted with the promises that had been given in regard to this son. But the obedience of Abraham was without a murmur or a reproach. His trust in God was implicit. 487 {CCh 270.2}

Ministers of Jesus should stand as reprovers to those who fail to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. They should kindly and solemnly reprove those who engage in worldly conversation upon the Sabbath and at the same time claim to be Sabbathkeepers. They should encourage devotion to God upon His holy day. {CCh 270.3}

None should feel at liberty to spend sanctified time in an unprofitable manner. It is displeasing to God for Sabbathkeepers to sleep during much of the Sabbath. They dishonor their Creator in so doing, and, by their example, say that the six days are too precious for them to spend in resting. They must make money, although it be by robbing themselves of needed sleep, which they make up by sleeping away holy time. They then excuse themselves by saying: "The Sabbath was given for a day of rest. I will not deprive myself of rest to attend meeting, for I need rest." Such make a wrong use of the sanctified day. They should, upon that day especially, interest their families in its observance and assemble at the house of prayer with the few or with the many, as the case may be. They should devote their time and energies to spiritual exercises, that the divine influence resting upon the Sabbath may attend them through the week. Of all the days in the week, none are so favorable for devotional thoughts and feelings as the Sabbath. 488 {CCh 270.4}

Had the Sabbath always been sacredly observed, there could never have been an atheist or an idolater. The Sabbath institution, which originated in Eden, is as old as the world itself. It was observed by all the patriarchs, from creation down. During the bondage in Egypt, the Israelites were forced by their taskmasters to violate the Sabbath, and to a great extent they lost the knowledge of its sacredness. When the law was proclaimed at Sinai the very first words of the fourth commandment were, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"—showing that the Sabbath was not then instituted; we are pointed back for its origin to creation. In order to obliterate God from the minds of men, Satan aimed to tear down this great memorial. If men could be led to forget their Creator, they would make no effort to resist the power of evil, and Satan would be sure of his prey. 489 {CCh 270.5}

The Blessings of Sabbath Observance

All heaven was represented to me as beholding and watching upon the Sabbath those who acknowledge the claims of the fourth commandment and are observing the Sabbath. Angels were marking their interest in, and high regard for, this divine institution. Those who sanctified the Lord God in their hearts by a strictly devotional frame of mind, and who sought to improve the sacred hours in keeping the Sabbath to the best of their ability, and to honor God by calling the Sabbath a delight—these the angels were specially blessing with light and health, and special strength was given them. 490 {CCh 271.1}

Strict compliance with the requirements of Heaven brings temporal as well as spiritual blessings. 491 {CCh 271.2}

Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." "The sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer." Isaiah 56:1, 2, 6, 7. 492 {CCh 271.3}

So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator's power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God's holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. "From one Sabbath to another" the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up "to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Matthew 5:18; Isaiah 66:23. 493 {CCh 271.4}

The Spirit of God is grieved because many are not right in heart and life; their professed faith does not harmonize with their works. The sacred rest day of Jehovah is not observed as it should be. Every week God is robbed by some infringement upon the borders of His holy time; and the hours that should be devoted to prayer and meditation are given to worldly employments. {4T 247.1}

God has given us His commandments, not only to be believed in, but to be obeyed. The great Jehovah, when He had laid the foundations of the earth, had dressed the whole world in the garb of beauty, and had filled it with things useful to man,--when He had created all the wonders of the land and the sea,--instituted the Sabbath day and made it holy. God blessed and sanctified the seventh day, because He rested upon it from all His wondrous work of creation. The Sabbath was made for man, and God would have him put by his labor on that day, as He Himself rested after His six days' work of creation. {4T 247.2}

Those who reverence the commandments of Jehovah will, after light has been given them in reference to the fourth precept of the Decalogue, obey it without questioning the feasibility or convenience of such obedience. God made man in His own image and then gave him an example of observing the seventh day, which He sanctified and made holy. He designed that upon that day man should worship Him and engage in no secular pursuits. No one who disregards the fourth commandment, after becoming enlightened concerning the claims of the Sabbath, can be held guiltless in the sight of God. {4T 247.3}

Brother K, you acknowledge the requirements of God to keep the Sabbath, but your works do not harmonize with your declared faith. You give your influence to the side of the unbeliever, insofar as you transgress the law of God. When your temporal circumstances seem to require attention, you violate the fourth commandment without compunction. You make the keeping of God's law a matter of convenience, obeying or disobeying as your business or inclination indicates. This is not honoring the Sabbath as a sacred institution. You grieve the Spirit of God and dishonor your Redeemer by pursuing this reckless course. {4T 247.4}

A partial observance of the Sabbath law is not accepted by the Lord and has a worse effect upon the minds of sinners than if you made no profession of being a Sabbathkeeper. They perceive that your life contradicts your belief, and lose faith in Christianity. The Lord means what He says, and man cannot set aside His commands with impunity. The example of Adam and Eve in the garden should sufficiently warn us against any disobedience of the divine law. The sin of our first parents in listening to the specious temptations of the enemy brought guilt and sorrow upon the world, and led the Son of God to leave the royal courts of heaven and take a humble place on earth. He was subjected to insult, rejection, and crucifixion by the very ones He came to bless. What infinite expense attended that disobedience in the Garden of Eden! The Majesty of heaven was sacrificed to save man from the penalty of his crime. {4T 248.1}

God will not pass over any transgression of His law more lightly now than in the day when He pronounced judgment against Adam. The Saviour of the world raises His voice in protest against those who regard the divine commandments with carelessness and indifference. Said He: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, He shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." The teaching of our lives is wholly for or against the truth. If your works seem to justify the transgressor in his sin, if your influence makes light of breaking the commandments of God, then you are not only guilty yourself, but you are to a certain extent responsible for the consequent errors of others.{4T 248, 249}

At the very beginning of the fourth precept, God said, "Remember," knowing that man, in the multitude of his cares and perplexities, would be tempted to excuse himself from meeting the full requirements of the law or, in the press of worldly business, would forget its sacred importance. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work," the usual business of life, for worldly profit or pleasure. These words are very explicit; there can be no mistake. Brother K, how dare you venture to transgress a commandment so solemn and important? Has the Lord made an exception by which you are absolved from the law He has given to the world? Are your transgressions omitted from the book of record? Has He agreed to excuse your disobedience when the nations come before Him for judgment? Do not for a moment deceive yourself with the thought that your sin will not bring its merited punishment. Your transgressions will be visited with the rod, because you have had the light, yet have walked directly contrary to it. "That servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes." {4T 249.1}

God has given man six days in which to do his own work and carry on the usual business of life; but He claims one day, which He has set apart and sanctified. He gives it to man as a day in which he may rest from labor and devote himself to worship and the improvement of his spiritual condition. What a flagrant outrage it is for man to steal the one sanctified day of Jehovah and appropriate it to his own selfish purposes! {4T 249.2}

It is the grossest presumption for mortal man to venture upon a compromise with the Almighty in order to secure his own petty, temporal interests. It is as ruthless a violation of the law to occasionally use the Sabbath for secular business as to entirely reject it; for it is making the Lord's commandments a matter of convenience. "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God," is thundered from Sinai. No partial obedience, no divided interest, is accepted by Him who declares that the iniquities of the fathers shall be visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him, and that He will show mercy unto thousands of them that love Him and keep His commandments. It is not a small matter to rob a neighbor, and great is the stigma attached to one who is found guilty of such an act; yet he who would scorn to defraud his fellow man will without shame rob his heavenly Father of the time that He has blessed and set apart for a special purpose. {4T 249, 250}

My dear brother, your works are at variance with your professed faith, and your only excuse is the poor plea of convenience. The servants of God in past times have been called upon to lay down their lives in vindication of their faith. Your course illy harmonizes with that of the Christian martyrs, who suffered hunger and thirst, torture and death, rather than renounce their religion or yield the principles of truth. {4T 250.1}

It is written: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" Every time you put your hands to labor on the Sabbath day, you virtually deny your faith. The Holy Scriptures teach us that faith without works is dead, and that the testimony of one's life proclaims to the world whether or not he is true to the faith he professes. Your conduct lessens God's law in the estimation of your worldly friends. It says to them: "You may or may not obey the commandments. I believe that the law of God is, in a manner, binding upon men; but, after all, the Lord is not very particular as to a strict observance of its precepts, and an occasional transgression is not visited with severity on His part." {4T 250.2}

Many excuse themselves for violating the Sabbath by referring to your example. They argue that if so good a man, who believes the seventh day is the Sabbath, can engage in worldly employments on that day when circumstances seem to require it, surely they can do the same without condemnation. Many souls will face you in the judgment, making your influence an excuse for their disobedience of God's law. Although this will be no apology for their sin, yet it will tell fearfully against you. {4T 250.3}

God has spoken, and He means that man shall obey. He does not inquire if it is convenient for him to do so. The Lord of life and glory did not consult His convenience or pleasure when He left His station of high command to become a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, accepting ignominy and death in order to deliver man from the consequence of his disobedience. Jesus died, not to save man in his sins, but from his sins. Man is to leave the error of his ways, to follow the example of Christ, to take up his cross and follow Him, denying self, and obeying God at any cost. {4T 250.4}

Said Jesus: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." If we are true servants of God, there should be no question in our minds as to whether we will obey His commandments or consult our own temporal interests. If the believers in the truth are not sustained by their faith in these comparatively peaceful days, what will uphold them when the grand test comes and the decree goes forth against all those who will not worship the image of the beast and receive his mark in their foreheads or in their hands? This solemn period is not far off. Instead of becoming weak and irresolute, the people of God should be gathering strength and courage for the time of trouble. {4T 251.1}

Jesus, our great Exemplar, in His life and death taught the strictest obedience. He died, the just for the unjust, the innocent for the guilty, that the honor of God's law might be preserved and yet man not utterly perish. Sin is the transgression of the law. If the sin of Adam brought such inexpressible wretchedness, requiring the sacrifice of God's dear Son, what will be the punishment of those, who, seeing the light of truth, set at nought the fourth commandment of the Lord? {4T 251.2}

Circumstances will not justify anyone in working upon the Sabbath for the sake of worldly profit. If God excuses one man, He may excuse all. Why may not Brother L, who is a poor man, work upon the Sabbath to earn means for a livelihood when he might by so doing be better able to support his family? Why may not other brethren, or all of us, keep the Sabbath only when it is convenient to do so? The voice from Sinai makes answer: "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." {4T 251, 252}

Wrongs perpetrated by believers in the truth bring great weakness upon the church. They are stumbling blocks in the way of sinners and prevent them from coming to the light. Brother, God calls you to come out fully upon His side and let your works show that you regard His precepts and keep inviolate the Sabbath. He bids you wake up to your duty and be true to the responsibilities that devolve upon you. These solemn words are addressed to you: If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." {4T 252.1}