Jan 28, 2020
By Dennis Coleman
I admit I was a little bothered by the fact that the church business meeting was scheduled to coincide with the Eagles-Cowboys football game. In Philly two things matter—winning championships and beating Dallas. So I was a bit surprised when a church deacon began questioning me about my checking the score during our December business meeting. I still think about his question, though it was asked many years ago: “Can a Christian truly be a fan of a sports team?” I still believe, as I did back then, that the answer depends on which one shapes who you are: your team or your Bible.
“We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and is our final authority in matters of faith and practice. We believe that Jesus Christ, in His life and teachings as recorded in the Bible, is the supreme interpreter of God’s will for mankind.”
Magnifying glass set in front of antique book with fanned pages
(Seventh Day Baptist Statement of Belief)
As Seventh Day Baptists we look to the Bible to shape what we believe and how we practice those
beliefs in our daily living. Yes, like other denominations, we do have our own publications such as the Sabbath Recorder you are currently reading and The Helping Hand used by many around the world as a lesson plan for Sabbath School on a weekly basis. We also have our traditions, though with cultural twists that add variety to the types of services you’ll find when going from one SDB church to the next. Ultimately it is the Bible, not our publications nor our traditions, to which we turn when it comes to the reason we worship on the Sabbath.
The seventh day Sabbath, standing as part of our identity, serves also to make us outliers among our fellow believers in the modern day church. As such it is important that our understanding of the Sabbath be rooted in Scripture. But Scripture is not ours to use as a weapon against others nor should we use Scripture to elevate ourselves above those with whom we disagree. Instead Scripture should inform us, helping us grow in our understanding of the Sabbath and of how it fits in the context of being saved by grace.
The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift of God, received only by faith in Jesus Christ. Every aspect of how we practice our faith must have at its foundation Biblically sound teaching of the Gospel message of being saved through (and only through) our Lord and Savior. Thus, while we must acknowledge that some keep Sabbath incorrectly out of a legalistic mindset, we must look to the Bible to instruct us in righteousness and to equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17) including instruction on what it means for someone who is saved by grace to worship God on The Lord’s Sabbath.
The Bible speaks of the Sabbath at creation. It also speaks of the Sabbath given to Israel as part of the Ten Commandments. If that were the end of the story we could truly question the motives of anyone who keeps the Sabbath under the New Covenant teachings about grace. But we also see that Jesus’ custom was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16). The Bible tells us that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28). We also see the Apostle Paul’s custom of entering the synagogue on the Sabbath day (Acts 17:2; 18:4). These mentions of Sabbath invite us to explore its meaning under the New Covenant. Further, our SDB belief in the Bible as our final authority on faith and practice demands that we turn to Scripture in order to answer any and all questions about the Sabbath, in the process freeing us to walk as God instructs in His word.
That same word speaks of a future rest (Hebrews 4:9-10). From this we know that the Sabbath is but a shadow of the rest to come for all of God’s children no matter their chosen day of worship. In this we have our hope, a hope that can only be understood if the Bible holds its rightful place in the life of the believer. Seventh Day Baptists should set an example by adhering to our belief that the Bible is the final authority on all matters of faith and practice, including the believer’s response to God’s gift of the Sabbath.
