STROM/PUCKETT DEBATE ON BAPTISM

 
 
 Proposition:  
 Resolved, that the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today.
 
 Affirm: James Puckett 
 Deny: Bob Strom
 
 First Affirmative:
 
 Definition of terms:
 
 1. keeping: by "keeping," I mean the observance in the same 
 manner as was commanded the children of Israel by God.
 2. weekly Sabbath: by "weekly sabbath," or only "sabbath", I mean 
 the holy day of rest on the seventh day of each week as given in 
 the ten commandments in Exod. 20:8. Any reference to other 
 sabbaths will be identified when used.
 3. scripturally: by "scripturally," I mean in accordance with the 
 will of God expressed in the Bible and specifically the teachings 
 of Christ and His apostles in the New Testament.
 4. binding: by "binding," I mean that Christians are amenable to, 
 required by God's laws to observe.
 5. Christians: by "Christians," I mean those whom the Lord adds 
 to His church as in: (Acts 2:47 KJV)  "Praising God, and having 
 favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church 
 daily such as should be saved."
 6. today: by "today," I mean the Christian dispensation, in which 
 we live, in other words all time between the first Pentecost 
 after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the end of the world.
 
 I. Background of the sabbath.
 
 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Gen. 
 1:1) During the first six days He created light and the 
 firmament, separated the waters from dry land, created all of the 
 vegetation, the sun, moon, and stars, birds, land animals, fish, 
 and finally created man. God saw that everything he had made was 
 very good.
 
 Then we are told:
 (Gen 2:1-3 KJV)  "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, 
 and all the host of them. 
 {2} And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had 
 made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he 
 had made. 
 {3} And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because 
 that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and 
 made."
 
 The root of the Hebrew word for "rested" above is "shabath" 
 (H7673), which is a primitive root meaning "to repose, i.e. 
 desist from exertion." 
 
 Thus God made the seventh day holy. He set it apart from the 
 other six days. What did this mean for man? We are told nothing 
 to relate this to man at this time.
 
 ***Therefore, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today because in the Bible 
 record God did not relate the seventh day to man as a memorial or 
 a day to be kept at the creation, when He sanctified and blessed 
 it.***
 
 No day was set up for man to rest until Exodus 12 when Moses was 
 telling the children of Israel how to prepare for the killing of 
 the firstborn and their leaving Egypt. Even this seventh day was 
 not given as the seventh day of the week, but as the seventh day 
 of eating unleavend bread. This was the real passover, which 
 later would be incorporated into a yearly feast to memorialize 
 their deliverance from Egypt. 
 
 (Exo 12:14-17 KJV)  "And this day shall be unto you for a 
 memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout 
 your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for 
 ever. 
 {15} Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day 
 ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth 
 leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that 
 soul shall be cut off from Israel. 
 {16} And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and 
 in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no 
 manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man 
 must eat, that only may be done of you. 
 {17} And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in 
 this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of 
 Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by 
 an ordinance for ever."
 
 ***Therefore, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today because the first time 
 in the Bible record that anyone was commanded to rest on the 
 seventh day was in Exodus 12 when the children of Israel were 
 told to rest on it as they prepared for their flight from 
 Egypt.***
 
 II. Who was commanded to keep the sabbath?
 
 The seventh day was not referred to as the sabbath until after 
 they had left Egypt and God started giving them manna for bread, 
 every morning. They were to gather twice as much on the sixth 
 day, because there would be none on the seventh day. Moses told 
 them:
 (Exo 16:23-26 KJV)  "And he said unto them, This is that which 
 the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath 
 unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe 
 that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you 
 to be kept until the morning. 
 {24} And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it 
 did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 
 {25} And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath 
 unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 
 {26} Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which 
 is the sabbath, in it there shall be none."
 
 This is the first occurrence in the Bible of the word "shabbath" 
 (H7676 shabbath, shab-bawth'; intens. from H7673; intermission, 
 i.e. (spec.) the Sabbath:-- (+ every) sabbath.)
 This is the first time anyone was commanded to observe the 
 seventh day of the week as "the sabbath," or "a sabbath unto the 
 LORD." This is an important point to remember!
 
 We have no command for anyone to keep the sabbath until it was 
 given to the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. This fact in itself 
 does not prove it wasn't given to their ancestors, but Moses 
 tells us that it wasn't given to them.
 
 (Deu 5:1-3 KJV)  "And Moses called all Israel, and said unto 
 them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in 
 your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do 
 them. 
 {2} The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 
 {3} The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with 
 us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day."
 
 Here, Moses reminds Israel that God made this covenant with them 
 in Horeb, but He did not make it with their fathers. Therefore, 
 God did not give the law of Moses to the ancestors of the 
 children of Israel. This means He did not give them the ten 
 commandments to keep, nor the sabbath. So, this is proof that the 
 sabbath was not binding before Sinai.
 
 ***Therefore, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today because the first time 
 in the Bible record that anyone was commanded to observe the 
 seventh day of the week as the sabbath is in Exod. 16:23-26.***
 
 Next, let's look at the giving of the Law of Moses, where the 
 command to keep the sabbath is given in the ten commandments.
 
 (Exo 20:1-2 KJV)  "And God spake all these words, saying, 
 {2} I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the 
 land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
 
 Notice that the ten commandments are prefaced with the reminder 
 that "the LORD thy God," who delivered them out of bondage in 
 Egypt was giving these commandments. Further, notice that they 
 are addressed to the children of Israel and no other group of 
 people. They were for the people who had been delivered from 
 Egyptian bondage. There were no Gentiles in this group of people. 
 So, these commandments were not given to us, since most of us are 
 Gentiles.
 
 Now, the giving of the sabbath:
 
 (Exo 20:8-11 KJV)  "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
 {9} Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 
 {10} But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in 
 it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy 
 daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, 
 nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 
 {11} For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and 
 all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the 
 LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
 
 He told the Hebrews that God blessed the seventh day and hallowed 
 (sanctified) it because He had rested on the seventh day after He 
 had created the heaven and earth and sea, and all they contain. 
 This was the same reason He gave it to them as the sabbath. Then, 
 when giving instructions to Moses about building the tabernacle, 
 God said the following:
 
 (Exo 31:13-17 KJV)  "Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, 
 saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign 
 between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know 
 that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. 
 {14} Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto 
 you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for 
 whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from 
 among his people. 
 {15} Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath 
 of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the 
 sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 
 {16} Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to 
 observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual 
 covenant. 
 {17} It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: 
 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the 
 seventh day he rested, and was refreshed."
 
 God told the children of Israel here that He gave them his 
 sabbaths as a sign between God and Israel that they might know He 
 is the LORD that "doth sanctify" them.  This is confirmed in 
 Ezekiel:
 
 (Ezek 20:12 KJV)  "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a 
 sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD 
 that sanctify them."
 
 (Ezek 20:20 KJV)  "And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a 
 sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your 
 God."
 
 The above scriptures prove convincingly, that the Notice that God 
 told Moses that the sabbath "is a sign between me and the 
 children of Israel throughout their generations." It was not 
 given to any people other than the children of Israel, but was 
 given to the children of Israel for a specific purpose and not as 
 a general command to all mankind!  Notice also the penalty for 
 anyone who did not keep it was death. Therefore, those who keep 
 it today as binding will have to put to death anyone of their 
 number who fails to keep it. Additionally, they could not start a 
 fire on the sabbath.
 
 (Exo 35:2-3 KJV)  "Six days shall work be done, but on the 
 seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest 
 to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 
 {3} Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the 
 sabbath day."
 
 It would be interesting to see how those who keep the sabbath 
 today avoid lighting a fire on the sabbath as many furnaces in 
 the colder climates must start their fire each time the 
 thermostat calls for more heat. I suppose they could just suffer 
 the cold for the day.  Neither would they be able to use 
 gas kitchen ranges on the sabbath. Anyone who smokes would not be 
 able to light up on the sabbath. That might be a plus as an 
 encouragement to stop smoking. 
 
 There are additional scriptures that show the sabbath was given 
 to Israel and no other nation.
 
 (Lev 19:2-3 KJV)  "Speak unto all the congregation of the 
 children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I 
 the LORD your God am holy. 
 {3} Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep 
 my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God."
 
 (Lev 23:3 KJV)  "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day 
 is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work 
 therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings."
 
 (Deu 5:12-15 KJV)  "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the 
 LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 
 {13} Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 
 {14} But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in 
 it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy 
 daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, 
 nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is 
 within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may 
 rest as well as thou. 
 {15} And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, 
 and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a 
 mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy 
 God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
  
 Notice, in particular, verse 15: "therefore the LORD thy God 
 commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." He gives as the reason 
 for giving them the sabbath that He brought them out of Egyptian 
 bondage. This is in addition to what He said in Exod. 20:11 that 
 He made the heaven and earth in six days and rested on the 
 seventh.
 
 (Neh 9:14 KJV)  "And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and 
 commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of 
 Moses thy servant:"
 
 ***Therefore, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today because no people other 
 than the children of Israel were ever commanded to keep it.***
 
 III. What did Jesus do with regard to the Law of Moses?
 
 A. What did He come to do with regard to the Law of Moses?
 
 (Mat 5:17,18 KJV)  "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, 
 or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {18} 
 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or 
 one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be 
 fulfilled.
 
 Here Jesus tells us he didn't come to destroy the law, or the 
 prophets. He came to fulfil them, and the law will not be 
 diminished until all is fulfilled. What did he mean that he came 
 to fulfill the law? The Greek word for "fulfil" here is "pleroo" 
 (G4137).
 
 4137. pleroo, play-ro'-o; from G4134; to make replete, i.e. 
 (lit.) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (fig.) to furnish 
 (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), 
 finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a 
 prediction), etc.:--accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, 
 expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, 
 perfect, supply.
 
 Strong's definition shows us that it means to make replete, to 
 cram, finish, perfect, or, as we might say: to fill full. It does 
 not mean to observe or keep. So, Jesus came to fill the law full, 
 to complete it, to perfect it. Did you notice that one meaning is 
 "expire"? That is what happened when it was filled full.
 
 Now, if you look at verse 18, you'll see that Jesus said nothing 
 would be removed from the law until all would be fulfilled. The 
 Greek word here is different than the one used for "fulfil." The 
 word used here is "ginomai" (G1096).
 
 1096. ginomai, ghin'-om-ahee; a prol. and mid. form of a prim. 
 verb; to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflex.) to become 
 (come into being), used with great latitude (lit. fig., intens., 
 etc.):--arise be assembled, be (come, -fall, -have self), be 
 brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, be 
 done, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be 
 fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be 
 married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be 
 published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be 
 taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.
 
 Basically, we can say, using Strong's definition, that the law 
 will not be diminished until it is finished and has done what it 
 was intended to do and was at a natural ending point.
 
 Therefore, Jesus came to bring the law to its natural completion 
 or ending point, the point at which it fulfilled its purpose.
 
 B. What did He do with regard to the Law of Moses?
 
 During His ministry, Jesus kept the Law of Moses perfectly. 
 Although the Jews accused him of violating the law, he did not. 
 He may have violated their traditions, but not the law. One 
 example is an incident where they accused him of violating the 
 sabbath.
 
 (Mark 2:23-28 KJV)  "And it came to pass, that he went through 
 the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as 
 they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 
 {24} And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the 
 sabbath day that which is not lawful? 
 {25} And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, 
 when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with 
 him? 
 {26} How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar 
 the high priest, and did eat the showbread, which is not lawful 
 to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with 
 him? 
 {27} And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not 
 man for the sabbath: 
 {28} Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."
 
 In verse 27, where He said the sabbath was made for man, not man 
 for the sabbath, He was telling the Pharisees, that the sabbath 
 was intended to be a benefit for man, not a controlling 
 influence. Man was not a slave to the sabbath.
 
 
 C. What was the purpose of the Law of Moses?
 
 (Gal 3:16 KJV)  "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises 
 made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And 
 to thy seed, which is Christ."
 
 (Gal 3:19-26 KJV)  "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added 
 because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the 
 promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a 
 mediator. 
 {20} Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 
 {21} Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for 
 if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily 
 righteousness should have been by the law. 
 {22} But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the 
 promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that 
 believe. 
 {23} But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up 
 unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
 {24} Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto 
 Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
 {25} But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a 
 schoolmaster. 
 {26} For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
 Jesus."
 
 Paul tells us that the law was added because of transgressions, 
 until the seed, Christ, should come, and it was "our schoolmaster 
 to bring us unto Christ.". In Roman times a schoolmaster, or 
 tutor, was usually a slave who was assigned to the owners child. 
 He would help the child learn his lessons and help him get ready, 
 and then take him to school, where the teacher would then conduct 
 the classes.  The law served that purpose for man. It prepared 
 man for the master teacher, Jesus Christ. It prepared him for the 
 law of Christ whereby we are saved by grace through faith. When 
 the teacher was present, there was no more need of the 
 schoolmaster, so it expired. Once the law of Moses, the 
 schoolmaster, had brought us to Christ, it had no more function 
 to perform and so was taken out of the way. We are under faith 
 now, not the works of the law.
 
 (Eph 2:8-10 KJV)  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and 
 that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
 {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. 
 {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto 
 good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in 
 them."
 
 D. Did He accomplish this mission?
 
 When Jesus was on the cross, he made several statements for 
 several reasons.  The last statement He made was "It is 
 finished."
 
 (John 19:30 KJV)  "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, 
 he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the 
 ghost."
 
 Most people do not attach much significance to this statement, 
 other than that it meant He was ready to quit living. However, it 
 has a very important significance in relation to His mission. He 
 came to fulfill the law, to complete it, to finish it. He tells 
 us that He did what He came to do. His mission was finished, 
 completed. He had fulfilled the law, he had completed it. He had 
 also fulfilled all  of the Messianic prophecies regarding 
 everything about the Messiah, except His resurrection from the 
 dead. But we are concerned with his finishing the Law of Moses.
 
 There are a number of scriptures that tell us Jesus did just 
 that.
 
 (Col 2:14 KJV)  "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that 
 was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the 
 way, nailing it to his cross;"
 
 For those that don't think the law of Moses is the "handwriting 
 of ordinances" Paul is talking about, let's see what Joseph Henry 
 Thayer says about it in his lexicon on page 668 under 
 "cheirographon": "metaph. applied in Col. ii.14 to the Mosaic 
 law, which shews men to be chargeable with offenses for which 
 they must pay the penalty." So, Thayer agrees that Paul is 
 talking about the law of Moses here being taken out of the way, 
 nailed to the cross.
 
 The book of Hebrews is a contrasting of the law of Moses with the 
 law of Christ that shows how the old law was a shadow of the good 
 things to come in the law of Christ. It tells about Jesus being a 
 priest after the order of Melchisedek, and then says:
 
 (Heb 7:12 KJV)  "For the priesthood being changed, there is made 
 of necessity a change also of the law."
 
 The law was to be changed. It was weak, it made nothing perfect. 
 The old law could not promise the forgiveness of sins, but the 
 new law could and did.
 
 (Heb 7:18-19 KJV)  "For there is verily a disannulling of the 
 commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness 
 thereof. 
 {19} For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a 
 better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
 
 The commandment (ten commandments, law of Moses) was/were weak 
 and unprofitable, so a better hope was brought in, a better 
 covenant based on better promises.
 
 (Heb 8:6-9 KJV)  "But now hath he obtained a more excellent 
 ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better 
 covenant, which was established upon better promises. 
 {7} For if that first covenant had been faultless, then 
 should no place have been sought for the second. 
 {8} For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, 
 saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of 
 Israel and with the house of Judah: 
 {9} Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 
 in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the 
 land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I 
 regarded them not, saith the Lord."
 
 (Heb 9:14-20 KJV)  "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who 
 through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, 
 purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 
 {15} And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, 
 that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions 
 that were under the first testament, they which are called 
 might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 
 {16} For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be 
 the death of the testator. 
 {17} For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it 
 is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 
 {18} Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without 
 blood. 
 {19} For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people 
 according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, 
 with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the 
 book, and all the people, 
 {20} Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath 
 enjoined unto you."
 
 It is obvious here that the first testament, the law of Moses was 
 replaced by the "new testament."
 
 (Heb 10:1-10 KJV)  "For the law having a shadow of good things to 
 come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those 
 sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the 
 comers thereunto perfect. 
 {2} For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because 
 that the worshippers once purged should have had no more 
 conscience of sins. 
 {3} But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of 
 sins every year. 
 {4} For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats 
 should take away sins. 
 {5} Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice 
 and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 
 {6} In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no 
 pleasure. 
 {7} Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is 
 written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 
 {8} Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt 
 offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst 
 pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 
 {9} Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh 
 away the first, that he may establish the second. 
 {10} By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of 
 the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
 
 The law of Moses had only a shadow of good things to come and not 
 the very image of them and thus could not remove sin or make 
 those under it perfect.  Therefore, Jesus Christ took away the 
 first in order to establish the second, His law.
 
 Paul contrasts the law of Moses with the law of Christ in Rom. 8 
 and refers to the law of Moses as the law of sin and death and 
 the law of Christ as the law of the Spirit of life. He confirms 
 this to the Corinthians. The person walking by the law of Moses 
 is walking after the flesh, and the person walking by the law of 
 Christ is walking after the Spirit.
 
 (Rom 8:1-5 KJV)  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them 
 which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but 
 after the Spirit. 
 {2} For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made 
 me free from the law of sin and death. 
 {3} For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through 
 the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful 
 flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: {4} That the 
 righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not 
 after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
 {5} For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the 
 flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the 
 Spirit."
 
 We already saw the weakness of the law of Moses, since it was 
 only a shadow, and not the real thing. It was the ministration of 
 death, written and engraven in stones.
 
 (2 Cor 3:7-11 KJV)  "But if the ministration of death, written 
 and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of 
 Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the 
 glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 
 {8} How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather 
 glorious? 
 {9} For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more 
 doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. {10} For 
 even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, 
 by reason of the glory that excelleth. 
 {11} For if that which is done away was glorious, much more 
 that which remaineth is glorious."
 
 The law of Moses had glory, but the law of Christ, the 
 ministration of the spirit is much more glorious. It has the 
 "glory that excelleth."
 
 Paul tells the Galatians, that if they attempt to be justified by 
 the law of Moses they will be lost.
 
 (Gal 5:4 KJV)  "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever 
 of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."
 
 ***Therefore, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today because Jesus fulfilled 
 the law of Moses and took it out of the way so that men living 
 today are no longer amenable to it.*** 
 
 E. To which law are we amenable today?
 
 The previous discussion shows us that the law of Moses was taken 
 out of the way, so we are not amenable to it today. Therefore, 
 since Jesus gave us His law and died for us, then it is now in 
 force and we are amenable to the law of Christ. As we read in 
 Hebrews 9:17 "For a testament is of force after men are dead: 
 otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."
 
 Today, we are amenable to the law of Christ, the gospel of 
 Christ, which began to be preached on Pentecost by Peter and the 
 apostles. The following scriptures show that we are amenable to 
 the gospel.
 
 (Rom 10:16 KJV)  "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For 
 Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?"
 
 (2 Th 1:8 KJV)  "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that 
 know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ:"
 
 (1 Pet 4:17 KJV)  "For the time is come that judgment must begin 
 at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the 
 end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"
 
 ***Therefore, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today because people living 
 today are amenable to the gospel of Christ, not the law of 
 Moses.***
 
 Thus, the Affirmative has given four valid arguments that prove 
 its case that the keeping of the weekly Sabbath is not 
 scripturally binding on Christians today.
 
 
 In Christ, Jim P.