Evidence for God from Science

'm just a babe in christ, specifically last july.

Now it just stumbled after me that how do i keep the sabbath holy? i know for a fact that the true day for keeping the sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday but what exactly does people do to keep it holy?

i think i understood that fasting is different from keeping the Sabbath. is fasting a requirement for a christian? if so when do i do it? do i do it on every sabbath? i'm a bible believing christian btw, i'm no Roman Catholic or Mormon or some other "denomination" i can say with certainty that christ is in me

I'm not exactly sure if this is the right part of the forum to ask these sort of questions, i hop it is, after all this is a question for Christians anyway

Plus - during the sabbath we're not suppose to work right? are we not suppose to work when fasting also? what is the sabbath and fasting for in the first place? sorry if this seems like no-brainer questions but i didn't grew up in christ if you get my drift. plus most of my family is indoctrinated with the whore of babylon - if you don't know what i'm talking about then YES i'd gladly call it a false religion, if you DO know what i'm talking about then you'd understand why.

My first question btw, and very happy to be with christ, and join the forums
i used to be a Satanist Atheist

Welcome to the forums.

You're probably going to receive many different answers to your questions because Christians from different viewpoints and different traditions see this differently.

If you go back to the history of the early church too, you'll find that this was a matter of concern and a lot of debate, some of which is preserved in Scripture itself.

Christ was/is Jewish and observed the law in many regards, including the Sabbath. He was often accused however, of being a Sabbath breaker because his observance was not to the extent of the Pharisees of His day who took a great deal of effort to establish a great deal of additional Oral law and tradition around it. Jesus disregarded their legalism and did things that deeply offended them, such as not washing His hands before a meal and eating meals with "unclean people." Jesus also "worked" on the Sabbath and he and his disciples were rebuked by Pharisees who saw them picking grain to eat as they walked through a field on the Sabbath day. Jesus also healed the sick on the Sabbath. The list could continue. More to the point Jesus said some challenging things such as Mark 2:27, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath"

The early church struggled with the Jewish identity that many of them had when turning to Christ and then the influx of non-Jewish or Gentile believers into the Church. Many of the Jewish believers expected that the Gentile believers would follow Jewish Law and tradition by being circumcised and adopting the dietary laws and practices. Much more could be said to the clash between the early believers over this issue.

My view on the matter is that what is important is not the act itself of keeping the Sabbath according to the Old Covenant laws. As a believer in Christ I am under a new covenant and God doesn't reside in a distant temple but resides by the Holy Spirit within me. Arguing over which day is the right day to observe is not fruitful. A lot of these issues are addressed in Colossians and that's a nice short book to read in its entirety that addresses what is important.

Where we get in trouble as believers, in my opinion, is when we look at something like the Sabbath and then focus on it as observing the Sabbath is important independent of our focus upon Christ. All the Sabbath keeping in the world does not and will not replace first and foremost a heart that is focused upon Christ, that love Him and subsequently loves fellow believers. In that context if anyone chooses to observe the Sabbath then they should follow their own conscience and observe it as an expression of their love for Christ. They should also leave others to follow their own consciences without judging whether they are in the body or not. That's for God to determine, not us. When we begin to focus on the symbols and make them more important than what they symbolize we're engaging in a form of idolatry or legalism that divides rather than unites those who are part of the body of Christ.

Bravo Bart!

Thanks Canuckster1127, you sure helped me understand things further.

But the thing is i want to do it according to my conscience, my focus is on christ and i've read that fasting is the only way to really humble ourselves to God. i understand your point and applaude you for that actually, thank you really

I guess you could say i want to show my love for christ - to christ - not other people that's why i've stumbled on the idea and question.

so... can anyone else help me? XD

I guess you could say i want to show my love for christ - to christ - not other people that's why i've stumbled on the idea and question.

But, we show our love for Christ, by showing our love for other people.

nevigroF wrote:Thanks Canuckster1127, you sure helped me understand things further.

But the thing is i want to do it according to my conscience, my focus is on christ and i've read that fasting is the only way to really humble ourselves to God. i understand your point and applaude you for that actually, thank you really

I guess you could say i want to show my love for christ - to christ - not other people that's why i've stumbled on the idea and question.

so... can anyone else help me? XD

You're welcome. Fasting isn't something that we're required to do but it is something that is practiced and has been practiced for a long time. In the scripture, Jesus was criticized once by Pharisees because his disciples didn't fast. Jesus told them that the time for fasting for them would be later after he was gone. He's gone (physically and we await His return) so this appears to be a time for fasting, prayer and spiritual disciplines that focus us upon Christ.

I think it falls again into the category that fasting isn't intrinsically right or wrong by itself. The issue is your motives and heart in doing it.

I'm saying this gently, but you don't need to fast to show Christ your love for Him. Christ knows. Further, Christ wants you to be secure and assured of His love for you. Works, like fasting aren't needed to demonstrate anything to anyone, least of all to God who knows everything and knows out hearts better than we ourselves know them. Trying to fast to show God you love Him, or to earn some special status with God is returning to the old covenant that was fulfilled in Christ. It's like trying to pay for a gift that someone has already given you.

What fasting is good for though is that is serves as a means by which we take the time we would spend eating and use it to pray and meditate upon Christ. Fasting over time for many heightens their sense of God's presence and many people I know (some personally) testify that fasting has been important to them before important life decisions. It's a spiritual discipline and in that context it's a very good thing for believers to practice but it's not demanded of us by God to prove anything to Him or to anyone else.

Hope that helps.

The sabbath was made for US, not the other way around.
For some it makes them feel good to keep the sabbath, one day ( usually Sunday) that they do NOT work and just are in fellowship with family and friends, doing honour and glory to God ( for they are showing love for each other), wasn't that why the sabbath came to be?
As for fasts and holy festivals, Christ never demanded anything like that and I think Paul says it best:

"(1) Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. (2) One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. (3) Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. (4) Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand." Romans 14:1-4.

"(5) One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. (6) He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God." Romans 14:5-6.