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Except I am trying to figure out who is the one that is involved in their own doctrines and traditions they cannot give up, that you all are talking about, and that Jesus speaks of in Mk. 7:
13. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."
Greetings to you, dear Sandy! So glad to see you here!
You mention Mark, Chapter 7:
Is this the part you mean?
Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
You say that you are trying to figure out who this is... Well, yeah, that would probably be a good thing to know..
Let's see.... looking at verse 7: Whoever this is, they are teaching 'commandments of men' as if they were doctrine. Knowing this, and keeping it in mind, could be a first step in the direction of their identification.
Verse 8: Whoever these people are, they are holding on to man-made traditions. An example is given: "AS the washing of pots and cups"... no, not that the exact tradition being spoken of here IS the 'washing of pots and cups", but, that is an example... something that men have thought up and put into practice.. something that men endorse and promote.... These 'traditions' are given a prominent place in the worship of the true God. Even though, HE never suggested them, never asked for them, doesn't expect them, or want them... yet, these traditions are offered up to Him as worship... and they are TAUGHT as being the 'right thing to do'... taught as doctrine! Knowing this is also a step toward knowing who these people are....
Verse 9: Whoever these people are, they are not only striving to keep their own tradition, they are also REJECTING the commandments of God.
Basically, they are anti-nomians... they have not, do not, and will not, submit to the Commandments of God. They believe and they teach that those laws are nice, and probably aren't necessarily 'done away', but, that as far as Modern Christians are concerned, they are a moot point. After all, they say, "Christ came here, lived a perfect life, and KEPT the law for us... Christ finished it", they say, "He did it all, so we don't have to!"
Sandy, you had a question:
Sandy>>"Is it the one believing they need to worship God on Saturday because that was the day of the orginal Sabbath under the law of Moses?..."
I like the way you cut to the chase!! Please note: The day you refer to, was NOT "...the day of the original Sabbath under the law of Moses" Slowly now, because this is an important point: The seventh day, IS the Sabbath, not because of the Law of Moses, but because God set it aside(sanctified it), and blessed it FROM CREATION.
The people you are trying to identify, DON'T KNOW THIS, and Not knowing it can and does have a bearing on their understanding . THEY THINK that the Sabbath Day is tied inextricably to the 'Law of Moses'... it is not. It was set apart by God Himself, in the very beginning, long before Moses ever took his first breath.
They don't know this, and won't believe it even if they are told. They think and believe that all that has changed... that Jesus did away with the requirement to keep it, and allowed the 'church fathers' to decide which day that Christians are to worship God on. They have some verses that they think gives them that authorization.
The Seventh Day Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, the Law of God that defines SIN. God made those Ten Commandments part of the requirements in what many like to call , "The Old Covenant",but those Ten Commandments are not dependant on those other requirements!
Whoever these people are that we are trying to identify, will probably NOT be found observing the seventh day Sabbath. Because of their antinomian views, they will be keeping some other day. Any other day than the seventh day... Verse 9 above indicates that this is one of the Commandments they have REJECTED so they can keep their own tradition... Knowing that the 7th day Sabbath is NOT a tradition of men, but a day that God Himself has sanctified, will help identify those others...
Sandy>>"Or the one believing they should worship God on Sunday now, because scripture appears to be saying Sunday is the day of worship under the New covenant?"
In our modern world, there is a church on every corner and dozens of preachers and evangelists standing ready to preach and teach those who want to worship the True God. - The majority of those preachers, preach that sunday is the correct day...they are probably sincere, dedicated people who think they are doing the right thing, and who want to lead and teach others to do as they do. As you described, "They believe they should worship God on Sunday now, because scripture appears to be saying Sunday is the day of worship under the New covenant"
Could it be that those who think that have been deceived or misled? Who is it, that thinks scripture 'appears to be saying' that? Does it REALLY say that, or has that simply been assumed?
The people we are seeking to identify, REALLY DO want to worship the true God! They do not want to worship an idol or any other false god! They are dedicated to worshipping the REAL GOD!!!
And, to even suggest otherwise is very offensive! I would never suggest that. These people are sincere, and dedicated! But, as verse 7 says above, "IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME
These people we are looking for, are WORSHIPPING the True God, but they are doing it... IN VAIN!
Now, I know that sounds awful, but according to the Bible, it does and is happening! The people we are trying to ID, don't know that God has not given them the prerogative of choosing how and when He will be worshipped. They think that their TRADITIONS are better and more righteous than those 'Old Testament' ways.. They think that God is pleased with what they do and that He will bless them and welcome them into the fold, so to speak, because of all the good things they have accomplished IN HIS NAME. To do something IN HIS NAME, is to call it "Christian"... The verses there in Mark tell us that some are doing their worship in vain. Vain worship is useless and pointless. It is something that GOD doesn't want! Basically, these people are taking the days and customs of the heathens and attempting to offer those things up to the Real God as worship. They REJECT His Commandments so they can keep their own tradition. Knowing these things may be another clue as to who these people are...
Sandy>>"Or the one worshipping God everyday, believing everyday now is the 7th day."
Wow! That one is a tough one to deny! It seems like the righteous thing to do, WORSHIP HIM EVERYDAY... And, it's TRUE! We should worship God everyday... but, does that do away with or lay aside the commandment to "Remember the Sabbath day, and KEEP it Holy" ??
Many many people, feel that one particular day isn't all that important! Today, our busy lifestyles demand more and more of our time! We are busy running to and fro and the thought of taking the seventh day, (or any other particular day) and setting it aside specifically for WORSHIP, seems so...burdensome! Besides, didn't Jesus 'do it all for us'? Didn't He live His life in obedience to the law, so we don't have to? If one thinks and believes that there is no LAW... that they are FREE from any LAW... that Jesus has RELIEVED THEM from any obligation to keep one particular day, then why bother? Why not just assume that now, everyday is the 7th day? Being required to keep one particular day is so... burdensome! Everybody believes something! And, what they believe is what they act on.. it influences what they DO and HOW they do it... What do the Scriptures SAY. Will any day suffice?? Will God accept our worship in any way WE decide to give it?
What are the 'traditions of men', as opposed to the traditions of God?
How do the majority of professing Christians 'worship'?
Do any of them 'lay aside the commandments of God'?
Do any of them "REJECT His commandments so they can keep their own traditions"?
Are any of them 'worshipping God in VAIN'???
Does any of this help us identify WHO we are looking for?
Sandy>>"I mean isn't it true we all of us think, it isn't me that is wrong? Be truthful now, because I think it definitely isn't me because of what I see the Word saying. And if your truthful, so do you too.
You are correct, of course! None of us think we are wrong.
But, obviously, from scripture, GOD thinks so...
