JohnHurt wrote:Adam wrote:JohnHurt wrote:Paul is wrong, but also right, in stating that what was added is now abolished, at least here on earth.
Take care and nice to talk to you.
John
John, if I understand your words correctly, it appears that you do not accept the words of Paul as inspired Scripture. If I am wrong in my assessment, please do let me know. But if you do not accept the entirety of the New Testament as inspired Scripture, including the words of Paul, this may not be the best forum for you. You will find that most of the people on this forum are in agreement that the entirety of the New Testament is inspired Scripture, and claims made contrary to that statement will not be well received or taken seriously. Rather they will be seen as an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words.
On the other hand, the fact that your arguments seem to indicate that ongoing Sabbath Observance by Gentile Christians necessitates disregarding the words of Paul as Scripture is very helpful for me with respect to my questions in the original post, and for that I thank you.
Adam,
Here is my position:
Christ is superior to Paul, or to any other messenger. Hebrews 1.
If Paul and Christ appear to disagree, then either Christ is correct and my understanding of Paul is incorrect, or Paul is incorrect.
In either case, Christ is superior.
If Christ and Paul appear to disagree to me, then you can say that my understanding of Paul may be incorrect. I am not offended.
It would help me if you can explain to me how Paul and Christ really do agree on these issues. I am happy with that.
But if any forum, or group of believers, did hold the teachings of Paul to be superior to the teachings of Christ, then the term "Christian" would not apply to them. And as a follower of Christ over anyone else, I would not belong there.
If a forum or group held that the men who selected the books in the Bible Canon to be superior to Christ, or held that certain books of the Bible Canon were superior to the teachings of Christ, then as a follower of Christ over anyone else, I would not belong there. So we agree there too.
You would have to prove these two points before I would leave. And I would. But I don't think you believe that. I hope not.
So, if I point out that Paul and Christ do not agree, it would be up to you to show me that they do. If it is hard to do, then perhaps our understanding of Paul is flawed.
-------------------------------
Back to the subject of your post:
Here is a good example of Gentile Christians keeping the sabbath as a day of worship:
Acts 16:(13) And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
I always wonder why this verse is not given as much credibility as Acts 20:7, or 1 Cor 16:2. The reason is, these are the only two verses that give any credibility at all for meeting on Sunday.
I sincerely believe that these two verses (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2) concern the yearly Feast of First Fruits, and did not change the Sabbath to Sunday. There is no place in the Bible where God or Christ changed the Sabbath to Sunday.
And I believe that the early church did not have the authority on its own, to change the Sabbath to another day, without the clear instruction of Christ or YHVH. The Catholic church does claim this authority.
What do you think? Does the church have the authority to change the Sabbath to another day?
--------------------------------------------
My hope is not cause controversy, but to encourage you to study so that you can properly address my arguments.
If I am in agreement with everything you already know, you won't learn anything from me. Iron sharpens iron, but only if the iron has a rough edge on it, like a file. Our differences are the "rough edges" that makes us sharp.
In that, I make my comments are in Christian love, and the hope of providing a different viewpoint to create a good discussion.
Blessings to you.
John