These two points of doctrine are where I'll begin my doctrinal discussion. The Seventh Day Adventist church is an extremely fast growing denomination. As their name suggests, they place a very high priority on what the "official" day of the week that the church chooses as their day of worship and rest.
Before I make clear my understanding of what scripture has to say about this, let me begin by saying that I can understand why the Jewish peoples of the first generation church would have had difficulty not considering this to be a most important issue. It was after all an offense that could carry a death sentence if one did not "keep the sabbath holy." However, we as believers have had light shed upon WHY this command held such a place of seriousness and severity. It is because the sabbath is one of the more powerful symbols of who and what Christ is for the believer.
"Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." Colossians 2:16&17
As Paul speaks of these issues in Colossians 2, he touches upon the second doctrine I'll write on for this post: Unclean foods.
In Mark 7:5-23, Christ has a dialogue with the Pharisees, the crowd, and His disciples. Read the whole passage for the most complete context, but the central point in regards to this doctrine is made in verses 18 & 19 when the disciples asked Him to clarify his teaching. "Are you so dull? he asked. Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body. (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods 'clean.')" This is not to say we should not use common sense about what and how much we eat, but according to Jewish law, certain foods were immoral to eat ever. Eating them made you SPIRITUALLY unclean, and this is no longer the case. The Bible simply teaches we are to eat with a thankful heart.
Next week--I'm going to discuss the Oneness doctrine (denial of the Trinity)
Disclaimer
If you strongly disagree with me about this or any other of my posts about doctrine, please take the time to read my “Why I am writing about doctrine” post from April 14 before you respond. Thank You.
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