Martin Luther and the Sabbath Challenge

[samkadya]

During the 1519 Leipzg debate between protestant reformer Martin Luther and the Vatican’s defender Dr John Eck  some interesting facts about the change of the sabbath came out. In the video below, Dr Dwight Nelson, Senior Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University USA analyses this issue and what it means for modern Christians a we debate this Sabbath truth.

During the debate, the Romanist controversialist John Eck (1486-1543)  demanded of Martin Luther in their Leipzig Disputation in 1519, that if the Reformer “turn from the church to the Scriptures alone”, he should then also “keep the sabbath with the Jews”, seeing that “the cessation of the sabbath and the institution of Sunday” was, in Eck’s opinion, not mentioned in Scripture, but had “taken place by the apostolic Church instituting it without Scripture”

Martin Luther never fully addressed this challenge during this debate but he later addressed in his writings and speeches. It is telling that he never used the modern arguments that people use when defending Sunday. Most modern Christian leaders somehow believe that observing the Sabbath is akin to legalism and therefore not consistent with salvation by grace.

Martin Luther never held to the abolition of the Decalogue and its sabbath, irrespective of all his criticisms of the Romanist perversions thereof. In his Table Talk, Luther recorded his belief that “the Apostles transferred Sabbath to Sunday, (as) none else would have dared to do it”; and in his tract Against the Antinomians of 1539, he exclaimed: “I wonder exceedingly how it came to be imputed to me that I should reject the law of Ten Commandments”.

Whereas in 1541 — only five years before his death — he emphatically declared: “If heretofore I in my discourses spoke and wrote so harshly against the law, it was because the Christian Church was overwhelmed with superstitions under which Christ was altogether hidden . . .; but as to the law itself, I never rejected it!” To the contrary, Luther held that the essential features even of the sabbath were of universal and perpetual obligation (Works, tom, 5, p. 22).

http://whatissabbath.net/martin-luther-and-the-roman-catholics-sabbath-challenge/

Edited July 7, 2015 by samkadya
to include source

[Outta Here]

Did Martin Luther ever keep the Saturday Sabbath?

[Aliensanctuary]

Recently watched a TV program, I don't recall which one at the moment, that said that Martin Luther was extremely anti-Semitic in his later years.

[phkrause]

Recently watched a TV program, I don't recall which one at the moment, that said that Martin Luther was extremely anti-Semitic in his later years.

If I'm not mistaken, it was the other way around? But not sure.

[Gregory Matthews]

One must be careful in  quoting Martin Luther.  Over the years that he lived, he often took differing sides on a debate.  It is from this perspective that scholars of Luther generally want a date for any position that he is said to have taken. 

[A Christian Brother]

Samkadya wrote: "It is telling that he [Luther] never used the modern arguments that people use when defending Sunday. Most modern Christian leaders somehow believe that observing the Sabbath is akin to legalism and therefore not consistent with salvation by grace."

"Of this kind is the observance of the Lord's Day, Easter, Pentecost, and like holy-days and rites. For those who judge that by the authority of the Church the observance of the Lord's Day instead of the Sabbath-day was ordained as a thing necessary, do greatly err. Scripture has abrogated the Sabbath-day; for it teaches that, since the Gospel has been revealed, all the ceremonies of Moses can be omitted. And yet, because it was necessary to appoint a certain day, that the people might know when they ought to come together, it appears that the Church designated the Lord's Day for this purpose; and this day seems to have been chosen all the more for this additional reason, that men might have an example of Christian liberty, and might know that the keeping neither of the Sabbath nor of any other day is necessary." - Martin Luther, Augsburg Confession (1530) - Article XXVIII: Of Ecclesiastical Power

Chaplain Matthews is correct that Luther did take different sides in the debate. I don't recall that he ever said that Gentiles (Christians) must keep the OT Sabbath. If he did, please cite the quotation.

I think my friend that you will find there are Protestants among us that believe that the Sabbath was a ceremonial law. For if it were a moral law, it does not fit among the other "moral laws" of the OT. For example:

1)  Are Leviticus 18:22 or 20:13, ceremonial laws?  Are they Ten Commandments? Then they would have been abolished at the cross, correct?

2)  Can moral laws be overridden by "ceremonial laws?" There are no exceptions to adultery. murder, stealing, coveting, idol worship, false witness, and so forth; are there?

3)  The Sabbath was overridden several times in the Bible: Circumcision, sacrifices, entering the temple to eat shewbread, and Jesus a number of times said it was alright to heal or pluck grain on the Sabbath. There were many exceptions. is there another moral law that fits that description?

Adventists offer use Matthew 5:17-19, to justify the Sabbath-keeping, “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.^{" (HCSB)}

Notice that "the Law" above is used with "the Prophets." if you study the Bible, you will find that the Law and Prophets refers to the Old Testament Books, with the "law" being the Pentateuch, or First five books of the Bible.

Therefore, if anyone violates any of the "law," they are breaking the instructions of Jesus. Remember, there are 613 mitsvah or commandments in the "Law." So, if none were done away with at the cross, then you would still have to sacrifice, perform washings, circumcision, keep all the festivals and new moons, seven-year Sabbaths, and so forth. You can't have it both ways, either some or all were abolished at the cross, or "heaven and earth" didn't pass away at the cross, and they ALL are still required to be observed!

After Jesus ascended, the Sabbath is never mentioned as mandated, especially for Gentiles. It was of course optional as was circumcision, but not required. 

- God Bless!