I believe YOU are mistaken. Sunday is NOT the “Christian sabbath”…For Friends Christ is our Sabbath Rest…every day is holy…every day is an opportunity to experience the Risen Christ in our midst and to see him in the faces of those we meet in our daily lives and experience his abiding constant Presence.
It is very Catholic of you to say this.
I, as a Torah-observant Jew (as was Yeshua/Jesus), believe that you are correct that Sunday is NOT the Christian Sabbath. The book of Hebrews was written for everyone. Not just for Jewish believers in Jesus, as some claim. Hebrews 4, vs. 9 says that because man has not yet reached salvation in Christ that There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest unto the people of God as God rested on the seventh day from all His works which He had made."
Many Protestants vigorously deny what they call “extrabiblical traditions”, yet observe Sundays, which is a Catholic extrabiblical tradition. do you see the contradiction there?.
No, Ron, it does not. The Catholic faith is not founded upon any “interpretation” of the scriptures, nor did Peter and the Apostles misunderstand what Jesus meant to say. Jesus is THE Rock. He grafted Peter into Himself, giving Peter rockness of character and mission. God revealed to Peter a statement of solid rock. Yet the Church is founded upon the Apostles and prophets, Peter at the head of the pack.
Bearing in mind that we had had a Pope for at least 30 years before St Matthew ever wrote those words down, and for nearly 400 years when those words were finally accepted in to the New Testament, what, exactly, were they “misinterpreting”?
Speaking in Aramaic, Jesus said, “Thou art Kepha”
Sorry, that’s an impossible interpretation, since Simon had never yet heard the word “Peter” (or “Kepha” as it actually was) used as his name (or anyone’s name) before. Jesus was giving him a New Name - one that neither he nor anyone else had ever had before.
What Jesus said was, “Thou art Kepha, and upon this Kepha I will build my Church.”
That is one meaning. Another meaning is, a company of followers, or an encampment. The point is, Jesus was defining one for Himself, different from all others, and established it on Peter, which is the Office of the Papacy that was given to Simon the son of John.
AMEN!
Thank you Laboto-me, we all should be so humble and honest with ourselves before God and neighbor.God bless us and peace to all.You’re right, I did make it sound like it was an individual belief. I should correctly say that the Catholic Church does not make any assumptions as to who is in hell and who isn’t. Since I’m such an integral member of the Church I automatically presumed all Catholics think as I try to. (I still have problems with it with certain members of other religious groups but submit to the teaching anywaywith prayer)
As for motivation by fear, sometimes that’s what it takes people to adhere until they’ve developed enough spiritual maturity to start being motivated by love.
Personal Story: For many years “fear of hell” motivated me to do the right thing (growing up years). Through doing the right thing, even if I feared separation from God, it eventually turned into a love for Him. Sometimes loving actions start out for selfish reasons (fear of punishment?) and then turn out to become selfless through maturity … where I am now.
CarlanThank you Kathleen, Exellent Post.
Peace, CarlanKathleen, but this post is asking about protestants, is it not?
So, to them there’s no such thing as ecclesiastical sense…no such thing as resurrection sunday…no such thing as tradition.This is a very general and perhaps prejudicial comment about our separated brethren. Of course there is an ecclesiastical sense! In fact, the vast majority of them have retained the Apostolic observation of Sunday as the Lord’s day. Also, the majority do recognize and accept tradition as legitimate.Kathleen, but this post is asking about protestants, is it not?
There’s only Sabbath Saturday.
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Bearing in mind that we had had a Pope for at least 30 years before St Matthew ever wrote those words down, and for nearly 400 years when those words were finally accepted in to the New Testament, what, exactly, were they “misinterpreting”?
Speaking in Aramaic, Jesus said, “Thou art Kepha”
If Jesus had spoken in Greek, a language known at that time in Israel, He would have said, Petros (Greek for “Peter.”). The word means, “rolling stone on the seashore.” Petra, in Greek means a solid rock or stone. Jesus was there telling Peter that he (Peter, the one who had just said he would not let Jesus go down into Jerusalem to suffer, and which Jesus rebuked Peter for by calling Peter “thou Satan,” would hardly have been one Jesus would have given the keys of HIs Kingdom to. Jesus was referring to His message about grace unto obedience to the Law He have Moses. It was that same Law that His prophet, Ezekiel spoke of in Ezekiel 36, vss. 26and 27. This is where the preincarnate Christ told the prophet that He would cut out of their flesh their hearts of stone, and put into them hearts of flesh." He then said, I will write My laws on their hearts of flesh and cause them to walk in My statutes and keep my judgments and DO them.
When Jesus, in Matthew 23 told the disciples and His other followers: “They sit in Moses’ seat in the synagogues and teach. Do not do as they do. For, they say but do not do. But when they sit in Moses’ seat, listen to them and DO what they say.” He was talking about the rabbis and other teachers.
Certainly, Jesus would not turn right around and tell Peter that he {Peter) could do whatever he wanted with the Law after telling His followers to do what the rabbis taught, which from Moses bench allowed them, under oath, to only read from the written Torah, the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments. Jesus was the law-giver to Moses. He, you may be assured never told Peter he could in any way change that moral Law. In fact, He said, “I will not alter the thing which has gone out of My lips.” Jesus, the pre-incarnate Christ, was the One who spoke to Moses the entire Law.
Being “not under the Law, but under Grace,” means that, at one time, the Law was a “school master.” Punisments for infractions were ordered from the religious leaders."
Punishment was swift. But, when Jesus died at Calvary, His sacrifice effectuated grace to repentant sinners. No longer was there to be an immediate punishment for sins. He offered His grace for sins when they were confessed to Him, and the Holy Spirit was sought by the repentant sinner. This whole change is what the New Testament is all about.
It has to do with understanding the meaning of the cups of sanctification and justification which are what God offers us. The first Covenant had the same Laws, but the agreement which is the basis of the second one (the Everlasting Covenant) is based on what God does rather than being based on man’s promses of obedience.
That Covenant was the one ratified by the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice for us is what made it possible for us to be baptized into that same New Covenant relationship with God that He offered His disciples who became Torah-observant, but non-sacrificing apostles, who brought in the Goyim, the Gentiles into that same New Covenant wen they, the Goyim accepted the Covenantal relationship brought about by Jesus’ shed blood. The laws,statutes and judgments are the same. It was only the administration of Old Covenant (the one given BEFORE Israel broke it) that changed, making it the New Covenant. Jesus never wrote, caused to be written by others, or spoke of creating a new set of laws, statutes nd judgments. .
Sorry, that’s an impossible interpretation, since Simon had never yet heard the word “Peter” (or “Kepha” as it actually was) used as his name (or anyone’s name) before. Jesus was giving him a New Name - one that neither he nor anyone else had ever had before.
If Jesus were to refer to Simon as “what he undoubtedly was” then Jesus would not have bothered with the renaming ceremony - He would simply have said, “As surely as thou art Simon the son of John” - without giving him a new name at all.
What Jesus said was, “Thou art Kepha, and upon this Kepha I will build my Church.”
That is one meaning. Another meaning is, a company of followers, or an encampment. The point is, Jesus was defining one for Himself, different from all others, and established it on Peter, which is the Office of the Papacy that was given to Simon the son of John.
True and not true. Many yes…but Sunday is used primarily out of convenience. I believe you know most people don’t work on that day. Its nothing to do with being ‘eccelesiastical’. There’s really nothing to tie down the protestants to observe services on Sundays except for the fact that Saturday is a half day for many people and not convenient for services. Fact remains that Saturday is THE SABBATH.
No. there is plenty of evidence in scripture for observance of the first day of the week as a Christian observance. The resurection being the main one.