Sabbath

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 290

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Day 290

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 8.

“…but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.”

Scripture Lookup

Matthew 12:1-13

Reflection

Hearing about all the activities to be abstained from on the Sabbath, we might be left asking, “So what do we do on that day?” Images come to mind of sitting around, afraid to twiddle our fingers lest it be constituted as work. Yet there is plenty to be done on Sundays! There are three categories of “works” that we are to engage in on the Lord’s Day: works of piety, works of necessity, and works of mercy.

Since the Sabbath is a day set apart for the worship of God, it is a given that we are to engage in worship on that day. Gathering with our local church body to praise our Savior, to partake in the means of grace, and to encourage one another with edifying speech is proper activity for Sundays. Not only do we attend services, but it is also a time for private devotions as well. Have trouble fitting in private worship during the week? The Lord’s Day is a perfect opportunity to have that quiet time to focus on Him.

Works of necessity are also lawful on the Sabbath. While observing the Lord’s Day does involve a measure of self-denial, it is not meant to be done so ascetically: “…God created the Sabbath to be a blessed day for all men, i.e., a day of refreshment and blessing” (Robert Martin, The Christian Sabbath.) Rather than commanding observance of a day that is austere and harsh, our Lord allows works that are indispensable to our daily living. We do not have to starve ourselves that day, or walk uphill in the snow (both ways!) to service. Doing what is needful is allowed.

Mercy is also a work that is assuredly allowed on the Sabbath. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6).  To offer prayers and praise unto God, but to disobey His command to love our neighbor is to not honor the Lord of the Sabbath. As those who have been shown mercy by Christ, it is fitting that we perform acts of mercy. Sunday is not an exception in this case. Caring for the sick and poor, healing when we have the ability to do so, sharing the Gospel with those who are perishing – all are acts that are acceptable on that day.

If we strive to keep the Sabbath as a way to honor God, we will find there is much to be done. Rather than being a day of deprivation, it will be a restful realignment with His will. May we pray that through the Spirit we will be enabled to keep the Sabbath holy.

Questions to Consider

  • Is there anything you don’t do on Sundays that you could start doing?

 

 

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 289

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Day 289

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 8.

“The Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe a holy rest all day, from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employment, and recreations,…”

Scripture Lookup

Isaiah 58:13

Nehemiah 13:15-22

Reflection

Vacations take planning. Before we can relax, we have to make sure that things are taken care of: what are we going to eat? Where will we stay? Who will watch the pets while we’re away? Much like planning for a trip away, we also have to plan beforehand in order to observe the Sabbath. To do so, we prepare our hearts and get our affairs in order. Anticipating being away from the everyday cares we possess, we pray that we will not be distracted from keeping the day holy. Any errand that can be done beforehand is taken care of, leaving us free on Sundays to refrain from the things of this world and focus on worshiping our God.

When we observe the Lord’s Day, the ordinary work of the week is put on hold. Paying that bill, buying the week’s groceries, writing that paper – put them all on the waiting list for the next day. Even those things that we can freely enjoy the rest of the week are paused. Time to read that bestselling novel or watch the latest movie? Not happening on the day devoted to God. Sunday is not Saturday redux.

Observing the Christian Sabbath is a hard practice in our modern culture. We seem to live in one of two extremes: either we are wedded to our work, or monogamous to our “me-time.” The Sabbath pushes them off the table altogether and directs us to focus solely on God. Resting from our work, we are demonstrating our reliance on God to provide all of our needs. Ceasing from our own pleasures, we demonstrate the supremacy of God over anything else we do on this earth. Keeping the sabbath holy is not something anyone can do perfectly, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we may strive to keep it nonetheless. As Christians, let us learn to call the sabbath a delight.

Questions to Consider

  • Is there anything you currently do on Sundays that you should cease?

 

 

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 288

/ Reformed Baptista / Leave a comment

Day 288

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 7.

“…which from the beginning of the World to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week which is called the Lord’s day; and is to be continued to the end of the World, as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.”

Scripture Lookup

1 Corinthians 16:1,2

Acts 20:7

Revelation 1:10

Reflection

Until Christ came, the weekly day of rest came at the end of the week. It was a reminder of God’s rest after the work of creation, a time when God called creation “very good.” The entrance of sin broke the peace of that first creation, and humanity experienced the effects of the curse in their toil. Work was burdensome! After working for six days, the Israelites could look forward to a day without labor, a day wholly reserved for the worship of God. The Sabbath pointed toward the future day when they would no longer have to groan under the weight of the ceremonial laws and would be redeemed from their sin.

As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus has the power and authority to determine how His command is to be obeyed. Christ’s resurrection was so momentous that it shifted the order of time itself.  With His resurrection, the benefits of Christ’s mediatorial work were more freely realized. He became the curse and sacrifice for His people, and death no longer held Him. Because His work was finished, Christians no longer looked forward to the end of the week for the day of rest. Instead, the first day of the week was the holy sabbath, commemorating Christ’s finished work of redemption.

As Christians, we have received numerous blessings through Christ. We are forgiven and accepted as righteous before God due to Christ’s obedience imputed to us. We are adopted as sons of God and enabled to call Him “Abba”. The Holy Spirit works in us to do and to will His good pleasure. There is much to be thankful for, and the preeminence of the Lord’s Day in our week demonstrates that. Yet we still have the remaining corruption of sin dwelling in us, and our inheritance of everlasting life will not be fully enjoyed until this life is over. Although our Sabbath is first and foremost in our week, we still work the other six days. Our toil is sweetened, however, by living in light of the rest Christ has procured for us, and looking to the ultimate rest that is to come.

Questions to Consider

  • Do you consider Sunday to be, as the hymn says, the “day of all the week the best”?

 

 

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 287

/ Reformed Baptista / Leave a comment

Day 287

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 7.

“As it is the Law of nature, that in general a proportion of time by God’s appointment, be set apart for the Worship of God; so by his Word, in a positive-moral, and perpetual Commandment, binding all men, in all Ages, he has particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him,…”

Scripture Lookup

Exodus 20:8

Reflection

Birthday.

Thanksgiving Day.

Memorial Day.

Notice a pattern?

We don’t have Thanksgiving hour or sing “Happy Birth Minute.” Naturally, we set aside a whole day when we want to pause and observe an occasion, even in the secular world. One day, out of the ordinary, to commemorate, gather, and remember.

God has instituted the acceptable way of worshiping Him. Through His word we learn who is to be worshiped, where we may worship, how we are to worship, and even why we are to worship. Naturally we are told when we are to worship God as well. One day in seven we are to stop and devote to God. Not a minute or a morning, but a whole day reserved for Him.

Setting apart a whole day for the worship of God may seem tiresome and inconvenient. But what commandment isn’t tiresome and inconvenient to the corrupted soul? Thankfully, the Holy Spirit enables the regenerate believer to “cast his soul upon the truth thus believed” and to yield “obedience to the commands…of God” (LBCF 14.2).

Questions to Consider

  • Are you setting aside one day to worship God, or simply one morning?

 

 

Happy Holy Days?

/ William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

I once heard a Reformed Baptist say that there are roughly 52 holidays (holy days) on the Reformed church calendar, and they all have the same name: the Lord’s Day. This assertion struck my funny bone at the time, but it has progressively become a reality for me over the years. As one grows in one’s delight in the Sabbath, all other days seem to pale in comparison.

It is written on the heart of man to set aside a day when he wishes to worship or esteem something or someone. God has written it on our hearts, just as He wrote all of the other Ten Commandments on our hearts. Innately, man knows it is proper to set aside time for the Object of his worship. In the book of Exodus, we are told:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy,” (Exod. 20:8-11; NASB).

In the Hebrew Scriptures, many Ceremonial Laws were added to the Moral Law, including many feast days and special sabbaths (some of which did not even occur on the seventh day). These were meant to be days of rest, not resting in idleness or in some mystic form of meditation, but resting in the Lord. Other cultures and religions besides have conjured up their own holy days to be observed in accordance with their own religious calendars.

In the Greek Scriptures, we learn that the whole of the ceremonial law pointed to, and was fulfilled in, Christ. As such, there is only one day still binding on Christ’s subjects for His worship: the Sabbath. Some Christians have argued that the Sabbath is no longer binding, but that Christ is our Sabbath rest. Reformed Baptists respond that the Lord was always the focus of the Sabbath, so their argument has no foundation.

Others throughout church history have added to the church calendar holy days that were never commanded by God for His worship. These days include Christmas, Resurrection Day, All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve, Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. These all have their roots in biblical truth (some more, some less), but none of them were commanded by God in Scripture.

“But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures” (The Baptist Confession, 22.1).

I am not saying that Christians are not free to make a commendable use of these days in good conscience. What I am saying is that they are not holy days (holidays) in the biblical sense. Only one day fits that bill. Thus, when these days take precedence over the Lord’s Day, whether in our observance of them or in our preparation for them, we might stop ask the Lord if we have chosen to prioritize our time contrary to how God has ordained. To put it more simply, the Lord’s Day should be more precious to us than any other “holiday” man may observe. I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Side note: I was sick in bed and couldn’t attend church this past Lord’s Day, but I probably don’t need to tell you where I stand on churches closing their doors on the Lord’s Day merely so that God’s people can spend time with family on Christmas morning.

Black Spirituality vs. Reformed Spirituality – Part 1

/ theroadofgrace / 5 Comments

As a Black Physics professor who is also Reformed Baptist, I usually get asked three questions:

Why have I chosen to join a church with no other minorities? This question is usually asked from other Black Christians and usually there are numerous undertones to this question. Sometimes it’s suggested that I’m abandoning the Black church or Black people in general. Other times, the question suggests that I’m under a theological imperialism.

How do I reconcile science with the Christian faith? When this question is asked by unbelievers (which is usually the case because of my vocation), it’s usually a statement of incredulity and thus the question becomes an apologetics question. When this question is asked by believers, it’s usually a question about the scientific method, the creation debate, and the claims of the modern scientific atheists.

However, the question asked by most Reformed people is: Why aren’t there more Black Reformed Christians? There have been numerous answers to this question and honestly, the answers are superficial or, at times, downright insulting. Some people assert that diverging musical styles are the reason that Blacks don’t attend Reformed churches (as if all Black Christians like gospel music and don’t sing hymns). Some people assert that it’s because of the lack of expressiveness (as if all Black Christians are charismatic).

My goal is to eventually answer all of these questions, but I want to specifically focus on the third question. I believe that the essential reason is because of diverging views of Christian spirituality. What are the marks of a truly spiritual person? How does one grow in their devotion to Christ? What are the marks of a godly leader? My experience convinces me that most devout Black Christians answer these questions very differently than devout Reformed Christians. This seems to imply that traditional Black spirituality is quite different than Reformed spirituality. In this blog series, I want to address the commonalities and differences between traditional Black spirituality and Reformed spirituality and then address the trends in modern Black spirituality.

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Let’s start with the first commonality: a high view of the Lord’s Day. Chapter 22, Paragraph 8 of the 1689 LBCF states:

The Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe a holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

churchIt may be surprising to most Reformed people, but most devout Black Christians would completely affirm this statement. Most of the debates regarding the Sabbath that have occurred within the broader evangelical world and even within Baptist circles with those who affirm New Covenant Theology would be non-issues for devout Black Christians. Most black Christians believe that a person cannot truly be spiritual and grow in the Lord if they perpetually disrespect the Lord’s Day.

For those of us who have grown up in the Black Church, Lord’s Day piety was a central part of our life. For devout Black families, any extracurricular activity must be done on Saturdays because Sunday was set apart for the Lord. Moreover, many Black churches believed in an entire Lord’s Day, not just the morning of the Lord’s Day. As a child, when we woke up on Sunday morning, gospel music would play in the home so that our minds would be focused on Christ. We attended Sunday School at 9am, attended morning worship at 11:15am, had fellowship and lunch time within the church immediately following church (which usually lasted for a couple of hours), and then had evening service. It was firmly believed that God met with His people in a special way during corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. It was during our fellowship/lunch time that we mutually edified each other, found out what was going on with each other, and talked about what we were studying in the Scriptures. Sundays were also the day in which many members would perform acts of benevolence for sick church members (which we called the “sick and shut-in” ministry).

Consequently, it was considered sinful not to participate in the life of the Church on the Lord’s Day because you wanted to watch sports or do other worldly recreations. If a person would miss more than two consecutive Sundays, numerous people would call to see if something was wrong and at times, that would prompt a visitation from the deacons and pastor. Lord’s Day piety was also reflected in the attire that one would wear to church. It was assumed that you put on your “church clothes” when you went to church and if not, you had “disrespected the Lord and His house.” Some families would actually wash their cars every Saturday because in their view, “the Lord wants their best.”

For these reasons, many older Black Christians do not understand the casual and lax nature of many evangelicals, including some Reformed believers, concerning the Lord’s Day. No older Black Christian would believe the argument that “all of life is worship” means that the Lord’s Day is not a holy day. Very few older Black Christians would think it’s acceptable for people to come to church with flip-flops on and a T-shirt. Very few older Black Christians would think that the Lord’s Day ended by 12pm so that church members can watch the NFL on Sunday. All of these are innovations for the modern evangelical church, but this is a point in which Reformed and Black Christians both hold – Lord’s Day devotion is an essential and necessary component of the Christian life.

For the next blog, we will address another strong commonality: a high view of the sacraments.

[Redux] CCF Episode Twenty: Christianity and the Arts (Part Two)

/ William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

CredoCovPodcastMaster

Earlier today, I posted the podcast for this week, but not really. The file I embedded was the one from two weeks ago. However, if you listened to that one (Christianity and the Arts, Part One), it should serve as a good refresher before listening to this week’s episode: Part Two. Enjoy.

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In this episode, Billy and JD sit down to discuss movies, Christian liberty, and paintings. Featuring audio excerpts from the motion pictures Chariots of Fire, October Baby, and Bella.

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MP3 Download | stream:

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Chariots of Fire

October Baby

Bella

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Subscribe to future podcasts and leave us a review on iTunes: RSS | iTunes  

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We’d love your participation. Contact us with your comments and questions about the episode:

Catechism for Boys and Girls, Part Two: The Ten Commandments

/ William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Visit the Catechism for Boys and Girls page to read the entire catechism as it is posted.

Q.34: How many commandments did God give on Mount Sinai?

A. Ten commandments.

( Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-22 )

 

Q.35: What are the ten commandments sometimes called?

A. God’s moral law.

( Luke 20:25-28; Romans 2:14, 15; 10:5 )

 

Q.36: What do the first four commandments teach?

A. Our duty to God.

( Deuteronomy 6:5, 6; 10:12, 13 )

 

Q.37: What do the last six commandments teach?

A. Our duty to our fellow men.

( Deuteronomy 10:19; Micah 6:8; cf. Galatians 6:10 )

 

Q.38: What is the sum of the ten commandments?

A. To love God with all my heart, and my neighbor as myself.

( Deuteronomy 6:1-15; 11:1; Matthew 22:35-40; James 2:8 )

 

Q.39: Who is your neighbor?

A. All my fellow men are my neighbors.

( Luke 10:25-37; 6:35 )

 

Q.40: Is God pleased with those who love and obey him?

A. Yes. He says, ‘I love them that love me’

( Proverbs 8:17; Exodus 20:6; 1John 4:7-16 )

 

Q.41: Is God pleased with those who do not love and obey him?

A. No. ‘God is angry with the wicked every day’

( Psalm 7:11; Malachi 2:17; Proverbs 6:16-19; 1Corinthians 16:22 )

 

Q.42: What is the first commandment?

A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

( Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5:7 )

 

Q.43: What does the first commandment teach us?

A. To worship God only.

( Isaiah 45:5, 6; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8, 9 )

 

Q.44: What is the second commandment?

A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

( Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10 )

 

Q.45: What does the second commandment teach us?

A. To worship God in the right way, and to avoid idolatry.

( Isaiah 44:9-20; 46:5-9; John 4:23, 24; Acts 17:29 )

 

Q.46: What is the third commandment?

A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

( Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11 )

 

Q.47: What does the third commandment teach us?

A. To reverence God’s name, word, and works.

( Isaiah 8:13; Psalm 29:2; 138:2; Revelation 15:3, 4 )

 

Q.48: What is the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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 thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 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.

( Exodus 20:8-11; 23:12; Deuteronomy 5:12-15 )

 

Q.49: What does the fourth commandment teach us?

A. To keep the Sabbath holy.

( Leviticus 19:20; 23:3; Isaiah 58:13, 14 )

 

Q.50: What day of the week is the Christian Sabbath?

A. The first day of the week, called the Lord’s Day.

( Acts 29:7; Revelation 1:10 )

 

Q.51: Why is it called the Lord’s Day?

A. Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.

( Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1 )

 

Q.52: How should the Sabbath be kept?

A. In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God’s Word, and in doing good to our fellow men.

( Isaiah 58:13, 14; Acts 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:2; Luke 4:16; Matthew 12:10-13 )

 

Q.53: What is the fifth commandment?

A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

( Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16 )

 

Q.54: What does the fifth commandment teach us?

A. To love and obey our parents.

( Matthew 15:3-6; Ephesus 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20 )

 

Q.55: What is the sixth commandment?

A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.

( Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17 )

 

Q.56: What does the sixth commandment teach us?

A. To avoid hatred.

( Matthew 5:21-24; 1John 3:15 )

 

Q.57: What is the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

( Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18 )

 

Q.58: What does the seventh commandment teach us?

A. To be pure in heart, language and conduct.

( Matthew 5:27, 28; Ephesus 5:3-5; Philippians 4:8, 9 )

 

Q.59: What is the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.

( Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19 )

 

Q.60: What doe the eighth commandment teach us?

A. To be honest and not to take the things of others.

( Exodus 23:4; Proverbs 21:6, 7; Ephesus 4:28 )

 

Q.61: What is the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

( Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20 )

 

Q.62: What does the ninth commandment teach us?

A. To tell the truth and not to speak evil of others.

( Psalm 15:1-3; Zechariah 8:16; 1Corinthians 13;6; James 4:11 )

 

Q.63: What is the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not  covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

( Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; Romans 7:7 )

 

Q.64: What does the tenth commandment teach us?

A. To be content with what we have.

( Philippians 4:11; 1Timothy 6:6-8; Hebrews 13:5 )

 

Q.65: Can any man keep these ten commandments?

A. No mere man, since the fall of Adam, ever did or can keep the ten commandments perfectly.

( Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:19, 20; James 2:10; 1John 1:8, 10 )

 

Q.66: Of what use are the ten commandments to us?

A. They teach us our duty, make clear our condemnation, and show us our need of a Saviour.

( 1Timothy 1:8-11; Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24 )

 

Q.67: Does God condemn all men?

A. No.  Though he could justly have done so he has graciously entered into a covenant to save many.

( Romans 3:19, 20, 23-25; John 17:11, 12; Isaiah 53:11 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 62-67, The Fourth Commandment

/ William F. Leonhart III / 1 Comment

Q.62: What is the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work; 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 man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: 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.

( Exodus 20:8-11 )

Q.63: What is required in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God one whole day in seven to be a Sabbath to Himself.

( Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-14 )

Q.64: Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?

A. Before the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.

( Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-14; Psalm 118:24; Matthew 28:1; Mark 2:27-28; 16:2; Luke 24:1, 30-36; John 20:1, 19-21, 26; Acts 1:3; 2:1-2; 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation 1:10 )

Q.65: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

A. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

( Exodus 16:25-28; 20:8, 10; Nehemiah 13:15-22; Psalm 92; Isaiah 66:23; Matthew 12:1-13; Luke 4:16 )

Q.66: What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about worldly employments or recreations.

( Jeremiah 17:24-27; Isaiah 58:13; Ezekiel 22:26; 23:38; Amos 8:5; Malachi 1:13; Acts 20:38 )

Q.67: What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?

A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, are God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own lawful employments, His challenging a special propriety in a seventh, His own example, and His blessing the Sabbath day.

( Exodus 20:9, 11 )

LBCF of 1677/1689 – Chapter Twenty-Two, Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

/ William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

1. The light of nature shews that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good and doth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.
( Jeremiah 10:7; Mark 12:33; Deuteronomy 12:32; Exodus 20:4-6 )

2. Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him alone; not to angels, saints, or any other creatures; and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone.
( Matthew 4:9, 10; John 6:23; Matthew 28:19; Romans 1:25; Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10; John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5 )

3. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one part of natural worship, is by God required of all men. But that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of the Spirit, according to his will; with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and when with others, in a known tongue.
( Psalms 95:1-7; Psalms 65:2; John 14:13, 14; Romans 8:26; 1 John 5:14; 1 Corinthians 14:16, 17 )

4. Prayer is to be made for things lawful, and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter; but not for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death.
( 1 Timothy 2:1, 2; 2 Samuel 7:29; 2 Samuel 12:21-23; 1 John 5:16 )

5. The reading of the Scriptures, preaching, and hearing the Word of God, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord; as also the administration of baptism, and the Lord’s supper, are all parts of religious worship of God, to be performed in obedience to him, with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear; moreover, solemn humiliation, with fastings, and thanksgivings, upon special occasions, ought to be used in an holy and religious manner.
( 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:2; Luke 8:18; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19; Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:26; Esther 4:16; Joel 2:12; Exodus 15:1-19, Psalms 107 )

6. Neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship, is now under the gospel, tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed; but God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth; as in private families daily, and in secret each one by himself; so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly nor wilfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God by his word or providence calleth thereunto.
( John 4:21; Malachi 1:11; 1 Timothy 2:8; Acts 10:2; Matthew 6:11; Psalms 55:17; Matthew 6:6; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42 )

7. As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God’s appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord’s day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.
( Exodus 20:8; 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10 )

8. The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.
( Isaiah 58:13; Nehemiah 13:15-22; Matthew 12:1-13 )