Romans 14:23 tells us, implicitly, that Abraham did not follow the weekly Sabbath.
Well let's look at your claims in detail RS, as I wish to show why I do not believe them and want to show why I do not believe your claims are biblical. My reason for sharing the detail here is to only provide help to you or anyone else who may be following along.
ROMANS 14:23 says
does not say Abraham did not follow the weekly Sabbath... ROMANS 14:23 teaches that if we do not believe and follow God's Word it is sin. Sin as shown above is also breaking any one of God's 10 commandments of which Gods 4th commandment Sabbath is one of the 10 commandments that if we break we commit sin.
ROMANS 14:23 And he that doubts is damned if he eat, because he eats not of faith: for
WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN.
Nope nothing about the Sabbath there that I can see
Abraham lived by faith [Hebrews 11], but following a weekly sabbath is not an act of faith, but obedience to an earthly, and religious, law. The Mosaic law was necessary because of Israel's transgressions [Galatians 3:19].
Nonsense. Let's be honest. Please tell me if God's Word tells us to do something and we do not do it then are we living by faith? Living by faith is believing and doing what God's Word says. Not doing what God's Word says is not living by faith as the scriptures teach these same thoughts in JAMES 2:18-20; 26
Hebrews 4, if you read it all, is not about the weekly sabbath. It is about the rest that comes with Christ's kingdom on earth, when all men serve the Lord [Daniel 7:14]. This takes place on God's seventh day, the seventh thousand of years after Adam [1 Peter 3:8].
The context of HEBREWS 4 is the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH...
HEBREWS 4
[1], Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into
his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
[2], For to us was the gospel preached, as well as to them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
[3], For
we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest:
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
[4], For he spoke in a certain place of the
SEVENTH DAY on this wise,
And God did rest the SEVENTH DAY from all his works.
5, And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
KEY POINTS OF HEBREWS 4:1-5
NOTE: CONTEXT is God's REST from the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH REST OF CREATION (
v4-5) and those who BELIEVE and FOLLOW GOD's WORD [the GOSPEL] enter into God's SABBATH REST as GOD did on the SEVENTH DAY of the week. CONTEXT is GOD's SEVENTH DAY SABBATH REST and those who believe or do not believe God's WORD do not enter into that rest.
[6], Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
[7], Again, he limits a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
[8], For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
[9]
SO THEN, IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
[10], For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his. [11],
Let us labor therefore to enter that rest, [God’s REST the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH] lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief [rejecting God’s WORD and sin; Hebrews 3].
KEY POINTS OF HEBREWS 4:9
Now notice
Hebrews 4, verse 9: “
SO THEN, IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.” In verses 1, 3, 4 and 8, the Greek word for “rest” is
katapausin. It means “rest.” But in verse 9, the Greek word for “rest” is
sabbatismos, which is a Hebrew word—
Sabbat, which means “the Sabbath”—combined with a Greek suffix—
ismos, which means “a keeping of” or “a doing of.” Put together,
sabbatismo means “a keeping of the Sabbath.” When correctly translated,
Hebrews 4:9 should read, “There remains therefore a
keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God.”
HEBREWS 4:9 [9],
SO THEN, IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
The translation for "Keeping Sabbath" comes from the Greek word that is used in Hebrews 4:9,
σαββατισμός, pronounced
sabbatismos, which is a noun form that means Sabbath rest, Sabbath (keeping) observance (Arndt and Gingrich,
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).
This definition of the Greek word
σαββατισμός sabbatismos is confirmed by other historical works: The words
'keeping sabbath' or sabbath rest is translated from the GK noun
sabbatismos, [and is] a unique word in the NT.
This term appears also in Plutarch (
Superset. 3 [Moralia 166a]) for
sabbath observance or keeping, and in four post-canonical Christian writings which are not dependent on Heb. 4:9 (
The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 5, p. 856).
The Greek word,
σαββατισμός sabbatismos, is a noun. The verb form of the word is
σαββατίζω sabbatizo, which means to
keep the Sabbath (Arndt and Gingrich,
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament)
.............
CONCLUSION:
HEBREWS 4 is talking about the Gospel rest of BELIEVING and FOLLOWING God's WORD; v29 Learn of me; v30 my burden (doing) is light. This agrees with
Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the
gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached
did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
HEBREWS 4:1-11 is in reference to GOD'S REST which God's WORD defines is the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH which is the CONTEXT shown in
HEBREWS 4:1-5.
HEBREWS 4 therefore with context added is saying that
no one enter God's Sabbath rest if they do not BELIEVE AND FOLLOW God's WORD.
Hope this helps..
