The New Covenant

WHAT did Jesus say about the Sabbath? Did he tell his followers to keep a new Sabbath? There is not an intimation of it. Did he say anything of the Sabbath? —Oh, Yes, indeed. In the first place he kept it himself; but he did disregard the foolish traditions which the Jews had added to the Sabbath, so the Jews accused him of breaking the Sabbath. They also said he had a devil, was a glutton and a blasphemer, etc. Some people now want to destroy God's holy Sabbath, and accuse Christ of breaking it, the very accusation that the Pharisees made against him. Why do they not go the whole figure and indorse all that they said; namely, that he had a devil, was a glutton, wine bibber, etc.? Now notice what Christ did teach about the Sabbath:—

"And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Mark. 2:27, 28. Does this intimate that the Sabbath was to be set aside?—Not in the least. He says that it was made for man, hence it should be a blessing to him. He claims it for his own day by saying that he was the Lord of it. Again, in Matt. 12:1-12, when they had accused him of breaking the Sabbath, what did he do? Did he say that the Sabbath was abolished and was no more to be regarded, the same as he said in regard to divorce and other things instituted by Moses?—Oh no; he justified what the disciples had done by several instances in the Old Testament, where even the Pharisees had to acknowledge that holy men had done more than to pluck a few ears of corn, and yet did not break the Sabbath. Then he added, "Wherefore it is lawful to do well upon the Sabbath days." Thus he directly recognizes the Sabbath as still existing under the gospel, and indorses the law as still binding. I see no way that this conclusion can be avoided. Remember all the time, that we are now in the gospel, and under the new covenant, and that all of Christ's teachings relate to the gospel and not to the Jewish age. So when he foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, which did not occur for forty years after the resurrection, he said, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Matt. 24:20. This most emphatically teaches that just as sure as the winter would continue to exist under the gospel age, so would the Sabbath. This conclusion is inevitable.

After Christ had thus for three years and a half had his apostles with him, and had clearly laid before them, by his teachings, and his own life, all the principles of the gospel, or new covenant, he then gathered them together on the night before his death, and there, in the most solemn manner, he formally established with them the new covenant. He had come from God to speak God's word to them. The twelve apostles, representing Israel, was the other party, Christ was the mediator. "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:19, 20. Here he tells them that this broken bread represents his broken body and that the wine represents his blood of the new covenant which was shed for them. The apostles on their part, by accepting him as their Saviour, thereby accepted the new covenant terms. On the next day Jesus Christ went out and shed his blood, and thus sealed up and ratified the new covenant, for so Paul expressly declares: "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. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." Heb. 9:15-17. Paul here refers to a principle which every one knows to be true, namely, that when a testament, or will, is made, and the one who made that will dies, then that will is sealed up and is unalterable. So Christ by his death ratified the new covenant. Paul says of this, "Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." Gal. 3:15.

Here is another fact, that after a will is thus confirmed by the death of the testator, it cannot be changed in the slightest particular. You cannot put in anything nor take out anything. It must stand, every letter just as it was when the testator died. So, then, we have this fact, that nothing can be put into the new covenant and nothing can be taken out of it after Christ expired on the cross. But where does Sunday come in? No one claims it before this time, hence the only conclusion is that Sunday-keeping cannot possibly be a part of the new covenant. Nor can any new law for the Christian Church be given after this, and there certainly was none given before.