The Sabbath, The Law, and The New Covenant
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In addition to being raised in a Sabbath-keeping church, I have had studies with others through the years who keep the Sabbath, and I have heard a number of reasons why there is a belief that Christians are required to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. Those reasons are as follows: 1. God rested on the seventh day, blessed it, and sanctified it. Therefore, the seventh-day Sabbath has been kept holy since creation, by early men of God like Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. 2. The Ten Commandments came from God, but the other laws and ordinances were Moses’ laws. 3. The Ten Commandments are separate from all of the other laws and ordinances that Moses gave to the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. 4. The Ten Commandments, including the fourth commandment which dictates Sabbath rest, are for all mankind, not just the children of Israel. 5. The Ten Commandments were permanent and are still in force today for Christians. 6. If Christians today are not bound by the Ten Commandments and worship on the Sabbath, then that constitutes a change, and God changes not. 7. Since Jesus kept the Sabbath, then Christians today should also keep the Sabbath. 8. If the Ten Commandments are not for Christians today, then we can kill, steal, and do anything we want because we have no laws. 9. According to Hebrews 4:8, if we are to worship on a day other than the Sabbath, wouldn't Jesus have mentioned it? 10. After Christ ascended into heaven, the apostles continued to worship on the Sabbath, which is proof that the Sabbath and the Ten Commandments are still to be observed. 11. Constantine, a Roman emperor during the 4th century, changed the Sabbath to Sunday. This study will address each of these premises in light of the scriptures and will show what God’s plan for all of mankind is.
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About the Book
Religion is a hard topic to discuss, especially with family members who do not have the same religious beliefs. This book began as a paper given to family members and friends in an attempt to show them what the scriptures teach about the Sabbath. Though a number of Sabbath-keeping church members and leaders refused to discuss the paper, other ministers and church friends thought it should be published. Years of studying and writing have culminated into “The Sabbath, the Law, and the New Covenant.” This book takes the central theme of the Bible, God’s redemptive plan for mankind, and walks the reader through the scriptures. It begins with the plan’s inception and then explains how the plan was introduced to man, how it began to unfold, and finally how the plan was fulfilled. This book highlights many of the scriptures that teach about the Sabbath, the Old Testament Laws, including the Ten Commandments, and the New Testament covenant of Jesus Christ, while comparing some widely held beliefs with the word of God. For all who truly love the word of God and worship on the seventh-day Sabbath, this book is a must-read. Those who wish to learn about the subject matter will also find the information insightful, coming from one who formerly worshiped on the seventh-day Sabbath.
About the Author
Kevin L. Cunningham was raised keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. His great grandfather started the family down the path of Sabbath keeping by not only introducing them to a Sabbath-keeping church but also by becoming one of its more prominent ministers. Following that same path, Kevin’s grandfather also became a minister in the Sabbath-keeping church. Kevin spent each Sabbath day learning from his grandfather’s preaching and his mother’s teaching in Sabbath school. It was when he went away to school in Lawrence, Kansas that seeds of doubt were planted. An acquaintance at the time who was door knocking in the school’s dormitory sat down and showed him a few scriptures that appeared to contradict the very teaching he received from his Sabbath-keeping church. Rejecting those scriptures with the determination that they were “taken out of context,” he continued to believe in keeping the Sabbath. The message those scriptures seemed to have presented continued to fester but did not take root until shortly after he graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Electrical Engineering. At that time, during a bible study where he was attempting to teach a friend about the Sabbath, the very scriptures he had rejected years ago once again were shown to him. This study ended a few weeks later with him being baptized into the church of Christ, no longer keeping the seventh-day Sabbath as he was raised. He and his wife Karla have three children living and worshiping in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas. In November of 2012, he began serving as one of the elders at the Simmons Street church of Christ in Denton, Texas. www.sschurchofchrist.us kevinlcunninghamsscoc@gmail.com Visit “The Sabbath, the Law, and the New Covenant” on Facebook.