[net.religion.christian] Sabbath, Worship and God's Grace vs. law

jah@philabs.UUCP (Julie Harazduk) (01/07/85)

> Tom Albrecht says that Presbyterians view Sunday as the Sabbath.
> I am not sure what he means by "Presbyterians", I am a member
> of the United Presbyterian Church and Sunday is the day of
> worship.  It is not the Sabbath.  We should still observe the
> Sabbath.  The only reason that one can get by not worshiping
> on the Sabbath is that you have been freed from the law through
> Jesus' attonment.  That is not to say that you shouldn't
> observe the law.  It is just to point out that although you can't,
> you can still have faith in salvation.

The Sabbath is a good day to give to the Lord, however, all our days
should be given to the Lord in the sense that we should pray unceasingly.
We should have an ongoing relationship not a flirtation.  A relationship
requires more than a once-a-week meeting.  The Sabbath is just another
day in many that should be spent in the presence of the Lord our God.
I like to worship in church two or three times a week, in addition to
my individual time (which isn't as much as it should be since the Lord
asks us to "wait with Him one hour" at the very least).

Also, to bring this discussion in a different direction, I get the
feeling that people's impressions of God's Grace is very different.
I feel in many ways the Lord Jesus Christ calls us to a higher, more
committed walk than the Law did.  This is evidenced in Scripture by
phrases such as: pick up your cross and bear it, lose your life to gain
it, I count all things loss, all things are but dung, present yourself
a living sacrifice....  Of course, we are in no way saved by works of
righteousness for our righteousness is as rags to the Lord, not by works
lest any man should boast; it is a total gift of God to all who will call
upon the name of the Lord.  In all this, I'd like to get impressions from
Christians on the net as to the differences between living in the period
of the Law and living in God's Grace.  

I believe that, as I stated above, in many ways we are called to a
higher calling than the Law called us but that we have a better 
understanding of God's mercy and His power to forgive us.  There is
also a more public knowledge of God's willingness that we should
trust and rely on Him for all things.  In addition, I believe that
there was never a time that people were saved by works...I believe
that faith has always been the yardstick by which God judges His
people.

Let's hear what other people think.

Julie harazduk
ihnp4!philabs!jah