Sabbath

Some teach that Hebrews 4 defines the seventh-day Sabbath commandment in the Decalogue as a shadow-type law pointing forward to a spiritual rest in Christ. They view the Sabbath in the same way the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to Christ's atoning death on the cross. They teach that once we have found "spiritual rest" in Christ, we no longer need to observe the Sabbath day, and that keeping the seventh day is a form of bondage and an act of personal works.

It is true that the primary message of Hebrews 4 is to emphasize the believer's rest of grace. The main point in Hebrews 3:7-4:11 is ...

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If we are not obliged to do what the law literally requires, then may we literally kill, steal, and commit adultery? This cannot be the meaning of Paul's frequent allusions to the letter and the spirit. The form and spirit of the law uphold each other. We cannot break the law literally without breaking it spiritually.

The religion of the Jews in the days of Christ and the apostles had become formal and selfish. They did their good works to be seen of men, not because they loved God and their neighbor. They condemned the open violator of the law, while they did worse than he did. They strictly kept up certain popular forms of obedience to the letter of the law, such as circumcision, ...

Read more of We should keep the spirit of the law but not the letter.