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As I concluded in part one, our own so-called "good works" -- including observance of the Sabbath -- cannot possibly save us, or contribute to our Salvation in any way. It is because of this inability to save ourselves by our own works, that Jesus Christ had to meet the full requirements of the Mosaic Law, and pay the full price for our Salvation, when He shed His innocent Blood on a Roman cross. His shed blood was the purchase price for our Salvation, and through our faith in His atoning Sacrifice, our sins are in fact washed clean. As I have shared with my readers many times before, insofar as the longtime debate between God's Grace and our own works are concerned, the Holy Scriptures plainly tell us that our works just don't cut it. They never have, and they most certainly never will. Consider the following group of verses which clearly emphasize this point:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast."


"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."


"NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"


So either we believe that we are saved fully and totally by God's Grace through faith in Christ, or else we futilely try to save ourselves through our own so-called "good works" and our observance of the Mosaic Law. We simply cannot have one foot standing upon Grace, while the other is standing upon the Law and good works. It is like trying to mix water and oil. We have to make a choice regarding what we believe.

Now, please don't misunderstand my words. I am not saying that there is no place in the life of a Christian for good works. Quite to the contrary. As I point out in articles such as "Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service", as well as in "Study, Work, and Don't Be Ashamed", works are indeed a very important part of our Christian walk and our service to the Lord. In fact, the Scriptures make it very plain that what we do for the Lord in this present life AFTER we are saved, will follow us into the Next Life, and result in Heavenly Rewards. Consider the following verses:

"If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"


"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."


"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"


". . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."


"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."


"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."


"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lords money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, WELL DONE, THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


Having shared all of that, let me reiterate again that if we are counting on our works to save us, if our faith is in our good works, instead of in Christ, then truly, we are doomed to absolute failure from the start; because we will never be good enough, or holy enough, or worthy enough, to deserve Salvation and Eternal Life of our own accord. As the Apostle James wrote, absolutely none of us is capable of keeping the entire body of the Mosaic Law. If we break even just one of them, we are guilty of having broken them all. That means that we are sinners, and the wages of sin is death, unless we have been covered by the Blood of Christ. Consider this verse:

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."


So to those of you who are convinced that you must keep the Sabbath -- Torah-observant Jews and legalistic Christians -- what about the other 612 mitzvoth? Do you faithfully observe every single one of them as well? If you do not, you are a hypocrite, and you are doomed by your own legalism. Let me also add that even if we could keep the entire Law, and save ourselves through our own "good works", then as the Apostle Paul also wrote to the Galatian brethren, by so doing, we have in fact nullified the Sacrifice of Christ, and He died in vain. Do you believe that? I most certainly don't. Paul wrote the following:

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."


The reason why Jesus was able to do the things which He did on the Sabbath day, is because He was free from the letter of the Law; and so are we when we believe in Him, and accept His Atonement for our sins. It is actually just that simple. We simply cannot be saved through our observance of any part of the Old Testament Mosaic Law -- that is, the Torah -- and that includes the observance of the Sabbath. Because if we really could be saved that way, then we would be depending upon ourselves, instead of upon the Sacrifice of Christ. Allow me to share with you a few more important Scriptures on this subject, because they make this very clear to those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear:

"And by him [Jesus Christ] all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."


"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith."


"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."


"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified . . . I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."


"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."


"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."


Notice in that last verse, Paul is telling the backslidden Galatian brethren the very same thing that he wrote to the Roman brethren in Romans 11:6. That is, that either we are saved, or justified, by the Law -- meaning by our own good works in keeping the Law -- or else we are saved solely by God's Grace. There simply cannot be any mixing of the two. Sadly, that is precisely what some modern-day Christians -- such as the Seventh Day Adventists, and it would seem the Messianic Jews as well -- are doing, when they insist that we must believe in Jesus, but we must also fulfill parts of the old Mosaic Law, such as observing the Sabbath. They are trying to mix the Old Covenant -- which was sealed by the blood of animals, with the New Covenant -- which was sealed by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Or as the Lord Himself called it, the Blood of the New Testament. Consider this verse:

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."


So allow me to ask you something dear reader: Are you a New Covenant Christian, or are you bound to the Old Testament Law like those legalistic Jews of old? Do you truly trust completely in the Blood of Jesus Christ for your Salvation, or are you secretly trusting in your own perceived goodness and righteousness? In other words, do you honestly believe that striving to keep the Laws of the Old Testament era -- including observing the Sabbath -- somehow makes you more worthy in God's sight? If so, then you are trying to save yourself, instead of trusting in Christ, and you are doomed to fail.

Personally, I am fully convinced that we New Testament era Christians are not bound by the mandates of the Mosaic Law for our Salvation. Our only hope is in Christ. Furthermore, I believe that no one should place unnecessary burdens upon Christian Believers, or attempt to add anything to God's finished work through Christ, because of the rigid dogma of their particular denomination. To do so is to add conditions to our Salvation, which was already paid in full by Christ. Consider what James, Peter and the other Apostles wrote to the Gentile Christian brethren who were living outside of Israel. See if you notice what is missing:

"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well."


Allow me to ask you a final question: If the Jewish-born Jerusalem brethren -- who personally knew and were taught by Jesus Christ Himself -- considered it very important for the Gentile Christians to observe the Sabbath day, why didn't they include such a requirement in their list of recommended observances which they sent to them? The answer seems very obvious to me: They didn't consider the Sabbath observance necessary, or even a priority, for the Gentile brethren. It was a Law which had been given by God to the Jews only, and the Church in Jerusalem did not want to burden the Gentile brethren with it.

In fact, after explaining to the Colossian brethren how Christ had freed them from the curse of the Law, by nailing the ordinances of the same to His own Cross, the Apostle Paul then tells them to not let anyone judge them because of what they did or didn't eat or drink, or because they didn't observe the various feasts and sabbaths like the legalistic Jews did. Consider the following two verses which prove my point:

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross . . . Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"


Please take careful note of Paul's final words in those two verses: "or of the sabbath days". Can there be a confirmation more clear than that? In addition to all of the other things that he is saying there, Paul is telling the Gentile brethren that they should not allow anyone to judge or criticize them if they don't observe the Jewish Sabbaths. As I said, this is a clear confirmation of the decisions that were made in Acts chapter fifteen, where observing the Sabbath was never even mentioned as a requirement for Gentile Believers.

Just as Paul had questioned the Galatians regarding why they had backslidden from the freedom they had gained in Christ, and allowed the legalistic Jews to place them anew under the bondage of the Law, he also questions the Colossian brethren in a similar manner when a few verses later he states the following:

"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?"


In other words, Paul is saying, "If you truly believe that you have become dead to the Law through the body of Christ, then why are you still observing and obeying the doctrines and commandments of men, according to the Mosaic Law?". So what we have seen then, is that Jesus, the Jewish Apostles, and Paul, all make it clear that we are no longer bound by the mandates of the Mosaic Law, insofar as our Salvation is concerned; and that includes the observance of the Sabbath day. In summing up his thoughts on this topic to the Roman brethren, Paul states:

"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."


So while I have now given you a clear understanding regarding what the New Testament teaches concerning the relationship between New Covenant Christians and the Mosaic Law, it is up to you to decide what you want to believe; because as I am sure you must realize, we must each choose to live according to our own faith. If after reading this message, you still desire to observe the Sabbath, it is really up to you. Allow me to emphasize here that there is absolutely nothing wrong or evil about doing this; but it simply isn't necessary, and it certainly won't help to save you. Only Jesus saves.

If you fully realize that you are only saved by God's Grace through Christ, and not by any ritualistic works of the Law, and if observing the Sabbath, or going to church on Sunday, makes you feel like you are pleasing the Lord, then by all means do it. However, just remember that if you really want to please the Lord, you need to remember Him and acknowledge Him, every single day of your life, and not just when your particular brand of organized religion calls you to church. God desires a continual, ongoing relationship with you, and not just a once-a-week date at the local church building, where many people worship Him in name only. As for me, I will follow Paul's Spirit-led advice to the Galatians where he writes the following:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."


In short, I believe that we each need to be Spirit-led in our understanding of the Scriptures, and we also need to have some humility about it as well. Personally, the way that my faith runs, and my conviction, is that it does not really matter which day we choose to take our rest from our labors. Whether it is Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, as we have already seen, the primary emphasis and intent concerning the Old Testament Sabbath law, is that man needs to take a day off. That is it. I do not believe that God takes offense if we Christians do not follow Old Testament legalism regarding this issue. I also think that it is very sad that certain Christians have taken this law, and turned it into a kind of legalistic bludgeon which they use against their fellow Christian brethren.

Before concluding this article, I would like to offer one final admonition. As we saw earlier, the Apostle Paul wrote that we must each be fully persuaded in our minds regarding such issues as observing the Sabbath. Now, as I noted at the very beginning of this article, the social networks are just full of people -- and by this, I mean Christians -- who are constantly doing battle with each other over doctrines. The very real danger here -- besides the fact that it results in serious division in the Body of Christ -- is that people tend to become rather self-righteous and holier-than-thou. They begin to compare themselves to others, and think that they are somehow better than others, because they do certain things which other Christians don't feel the need to do. Obviously, this is very foolish, prideful behavior. The Apostle Paul warned against it, as we can determine by the following verses:

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth."


So I urge you to please watch out for this sin. And please remember that whether or not one observes the Sabbath does not make one any better than anyone else. Neither does it have any effect on one's Salvation. So please stop patting yourself on the back, while you judge and condemn others who do not see things as you do. If you are guilty of this kind of behavior, ask the Lord to give you some humility, because you really need it.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Are You Crucified With Christ?
Dead to the Law: God's Laws Written on Our Hearts
Free From the Fear of Death: Law and Works vs. Grace
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?
Jesus Christ or Yeshua Messiah?: More Christian Zionist Legalism
Longhairs and Weirdy Beardies vs. the Legalists
Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service
Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?
Study, Work, and Don't Be Ashamed
The Biblical Practice of Fasting
The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words
The Royal Law: Thou Shalt Love

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