The Nugget:
1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
My Comment:
This passage furnishes us the reason some prayers are answered and some are not. If we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight, John states we will receive of Him whatsoever we ask.
Now what are the commandments John is referring to? Many will rush in to suggest he refers to the Ten Commandments. Others, equally fervently, might wish to insist John is focusing on the Fourth Commandment, for that is the one that has allegedly been changed or dropped out of the list, but needs to be restored to favor again. But these are not the commandments John is directing our attention to. In fact, he spells out very specifically just what commandments he has in mind.
Notice John speaks of commandments. The use of the plural here should alert us to watch for at least two. John specifies two: (1) love one another, and (2) believe on His Son, Jesus Christ. But notice he states these in the reverse order to that I just listed. The first commandment John specifies is, Believe on the name of His son, Jesus Christ. One must believe on Jesus Christ to meet the conditions for answered prayer that John specifies in this passage. To find out more about how to do that, read the New Testament book, the Gospel of John. I plan, Lord willing, to share verses about believing on Christ and the plan of salvation after I’ve covered the verses about prayer.
i n 3.22-23 and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his command
ments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
many encouraging cross refs on vs 22 great blessing the word of god jer 15.16
1. psm 34.4 i sought the lord, and he heard me,and delivered me from all my
fears.34.15 the eyes of the lord are upon the righeous and his ears are open unto
their cry. vs 16 the face of the lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the rem-
-emebrance of them from the earth.
2. psm 66.18 if i regard iniquity in my heart, the lord will not hear me. psm 145.18
the lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
vs 19 he will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear their cry, and will save them. psm 37.4 delight thy self in the lord and he shall give thee the desires of
thine heart. j
3. jn 15.7 if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you. james 5.16 the effectual fervent prayer of righteous man
availeth much.
i jn 3.23 and this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his son
jesus christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
good cross refs on this verse also.
1. mk 9.7 this is my beloved son, hear him
2. jn 6.29 this is the work of god, that ye believe on him shom he hath sent.
3. jn 13.34 a new commandment i give unto you, that ye love one another as
i have loved you, that ye also love one another
4. jn 14.1 let not your heart be troubled ye believe in god, believe also in me
5. jn 17.3 and this is eternal life, that they might know thee the only true god,
and jesus christ, whom thou hast sent.
6. acts 16.30-31 and brought them out, and said, sirs, what must i do to be saved?
vs 31 and they said, believe on the lord jesus christ, and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house.
7. 1 jn 4.21 and this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth god
love his brother also. jn 13.34 a new commandment i give unto you, that ye love
one another as i have loved you, that ye also love on another. eph 5.2 and walk in
love, as christ as christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to god for a sweet smelling savour.
Of course! The first 4 of the 10C are love of God and the last 6 are love for one another. It is true, the 4th (3rd if you are catholic) is the one that everyone stumbles over. How dare God demand such a thing as a sabbath day! Even though it was made for man (not just Jews) (Mark 2:27) and that our Savior is the Lord of the Sabbath, and that the only day that is our Lord’s ever listed in the Bible is the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13). And this fueled by the belief that the Sabbath originated as Sinai though it did not (Nehemiah 9). One thing that is very clear, is that there is no Biblical basis for the keeping of the day of the Sun.
Dear Mr. A. Way,
It is always a pleasure and delight to hear from you again by way of your posting a comment here–even if you are (almost) all wrong!
But we have thoroughly discussed these matters here before.
There is a Biblical basis for meeting regularly for worship on Sunday, the First Day of the Week. The basis is grounded in the fact that this was the practice of the New Testament Church. No doubt the First Day was important to these first Christians because (1) that is the day Christ arose from the grave; (2) that is the day specifically recorded that Christ met with them after His resurrection; (3) that is the day the New Testament Church experienced Pentecost, the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
That this was their regular and habitual practice can be seen from Acts 20:7. It can also be inferred from 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 when Paul specified the First Day of the Week (our Sunday) as the time to gather the funds to be used for the relief of the poor saints in Jerusalem.
It remains a fact of Scripture that the Fourth Commandment regarding Sabbath Worship is never extended as a command in the New Testament to Gentile Christians or to anybody else.
Indeed, Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, and since He fulfilled it, it is no longer obligatory, any more than the animal sacrifices and other Jewish holy days mentioned in Scripture.
It is strikingly clear that when the Galatian churches were prone to fall into the heresy of the Judaizing teachers that taught false doctrine among them, doctrine labeled by Paul in his letter to the Galatians as “another gospel,” observance of days, including weekly Sabbath days, was a mark of falling from grace and potentially abandoning the faith (see Galatians 1:8; 4:9, 10, 11. 5:4, 18). Paul thus categorizes this departure from the true faith as outright apostasy, and severely warns against it.
Yes we have gone round this before. But, you may have a new reader which will not slog through all the copious amount of verbiage that has been written here. Where is the commandment to keep Sunday? There is none. What was the occasion of Acts 20:7? Paul was leaving and it was a send off. The breaking of bread is a common Jewish idiom meaning to eat. And the early disciples did it daily, Acts 2:46. The fact is, that the disciples met weekly with both Jews and Gentiles on the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, Acts 13:42. As for inference in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, this is Paul promoting a special project on behave of the believers in Jerusalem. Both Jew and Christian were oppressed and the believers were poor and there was much persecution, Acts 4:34-35; 6:1; 8:1; 11:28-30. Taking care of the need is a most important work, Isaiah 58:6-8; Matthew 25:34-46. And it was in keeping with Proverbs 3:9. And the first day of the week? Yes, it was a systematic plan to review your economics and not on Sabbath as that day is for the Lord.
Jerry said: “It remains a fact of Scripture that the Fourth Commandment regarding Sabbath Worship is never extended as a command in the New Testament to Gentile Christians or to anybody else.” This is your argument from the negative. Is there a commandment to not keep the Sabbath? No. Is there a commandment regarding sacredness of Sunday? No. You have used the same point that the Sabbath did not start in Eden (Genesis 2:2-3), though when it does appear it is to “remember” the Sabbath, Exodus 20:8-11. God is the creator. How many have forgotten that fact today? Evolution is every where, even in the churches! We are to worship Him who created the heavens, the earth and the sea, Revelation 14:7. Read Isaiah 56 and 58. The Sabbath is also a sign, a sign of what? Ezekiel 20:12.
Jerry said: “Indeed, Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, and since He fulfilled it, it is no longer obligatory, any more than the animal sacrifices and other Jewish holy days mentioned in Scripture.” Was the Sabbath made for the Jews only? Were the 10 commandments for the Jew only? Jesus clearly states in Mark 2:27, “And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath”. This is the God of the Universe speaking. The Sabbath was for MAN. He does not say, JEW. And if you were to review the work used for the 7th day of the week in over 100 languages, what is it? Sabbath.
Galatians – the truth is that no one can be justified by trying to keep any part of the law Galatians 2:16. So shall we sin? Paul says God forbid, Romans 6:15! What is sin? Transgression of the law. So is the law done away with? The law points out sin, Romans 7:7. Has Christ done away with the law and we can then sin? God forbid, Galatians 2:17! If the law is gone, then we can steal, lie, sleep with our neighbor and worship Baal. The laws of types and shadows are gone, but the royal law remains. The 10C are the perfect law of liberty, James 1:25. The law of the Lord is perfect, Psalms 19:7. And read Psalms 119 – the whole thing! Psalms 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all your commandments. Psalms 119:104 Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalms 119:128 Therefore I esteem all your precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. Psalms 119:159-160 Consider how I love your precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to your loving kindness. 160 Your word is true from the beginning: and every one of your righteous judgments endures for ever. Psalms 119:171-172 My lips shall utter praise, when you have taught me your statutes. 172 My tongue shall speak of your word: for all your commandments are righteousness.
The Sabbath is not a work, it is a rest in the Lord.
Hebrews 4:1-10 LEB.
1 The Rest that Remains for the People of God
¶ Therefore let us fear, while there remains a promise of entering into his rest, that none of you appear to fall short of it .
2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us , just as those also did , but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who heard it in faith.
3 For we who have believed enter into rest, just as he has said,
“As I swore in my anger,
‘They will never enter into my rest.’ ”
And yet these works have been accomplished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works,”
5 and in this passage again, ‘They will never enter into my rest.’ ”
6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter into it, and the ones to whom the good news was proclaimed previously did not enter because of disobedience,
7 again he ordains a certain day, today, speaking by David after so long a time, just as had been said before,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
8 ¶ For if Joshua had caused them to rest, he would not have spoken about another day after these things .
9 Consequently a sabbath rest remains for the people of God.
10 For the one who has entered into his rest has also himself rested from his works, just as God did from his own works .
Dear A. Way,
You said:
I agree with you: there is no command to keep Sunday.
But there is repeated New Testament Apostolic practice which properly taught Bible believing Christians generally follow. Christ arose from the dead upon the First Day of the week. That is why Bible believing Christians meet for worship and fellowship on that day. Note most carefully that nearly all, if not all, of the recorded post-resurrection appearances of our Lord Jesus Christ took place upon the First Day of the week. But there is no command in the New Testament that requires all Christians to observe a specific day of the week for Christian fellowship and worship. We have freedom and liberty in Jesus Christ to worship when and as often as we please on whatever day we find appropriate.
Now here is where I believe Scripture demonstrates you have gone astray. You state:
Did you forget the stern charge Paul made against the churches in Galatia who heeded the false teachers among them which urged the Gentile Galatian Christians to observe the Jewish Sabbath, just as you do? Read carefully in context, Paul let the Galatian churches know in no uncertain terms that by turning to the Jewish practice of Sabbath worship and observing other Jewish holy days was to turn away from the Gospel as he had taught them. Paul said that for them to turn aside to the observance of days was tantamount to rejecting Jesus Christ and all Paul had taught them. Paul said that if they followed the teaching of the Judaizing teachers, Paul’s work among them would have been in vain. It would place both the Judaizers and those who followed them under a double curse of final damnation (Galatians 1:9). It would mean they had fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). It would mean they had lost their salvation.
So, is there a commandment to not keep the Sabbath? Most certainly yes, if keeping the Sabbath represents in any form or degree a returning to keeping the Mosaic Law, particularly the Fourth Commandment regarding the Sabbath.
Now if any Christian individual or even church or denomination wishes to worship God on Saturday or Friday or Thursday or Wednesday or Tuesday or Monday instead of Sunday, they have the liberty in Christ to do so, so long as they do not make the claim that their chosen day is more correct than what ever day others practice because it conforms to the Fourth Commandment, and urge others to do likewise for that reason.
Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
This Scripture ought to be plain enough on this matter for anyone who has the ability to read English, even reading from the KJV.
Your assumption is that the Sabbath is Jewish. Mark 2:27 KJV And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Man? Or only Jewish man? The plain reading of the KJV here says man. This would include all men. The 4th commandment includes all people, and in addition, animals.
Did the Christians worship on the 7th day? Yep. Acts 13:42 KJV And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Plain reading of the KJV.
Did the Jews have certain days, months, years? Yep. Was not the Sabbath given at Sinai to the Jews. No, it was in effect BEFORE Sinai. See Exodus 16. In fact, it was in effect from Creation long before there were any Jews.
Is there any evidence that non-Jews knew about the Sabbath? In over 100 languages, the word for the 7th day is Sabbath. Just a couple, Russian – Subbota. Spanish – Sabado. Indonesian – Sabtu. Arabic – As-sabt. Swahili (east equatorial Africa) – As-sabt. Dayak (Borneo) – Sabtu. And many others.
Jerry says, “We have freedom and liberty in Jesus Christ to worship when and as often as we please on whatever day we find appropriate.” Is the 7th day Sabbath arbitrary? Isaiah 56 and 58 don’t seem to think so. And there is interesting science that a seven day cycle pervades off of life. Check out the circaseptan.
2 Peter 3:3 KJV Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. Yes, there is scoffers today that thumb their noses at God. The Sabbath is the only commandment that contains the name of the author, the title and the territory over which He rules. We are to worship God. Revelation 14 repeats the title words of the 4th commandment, Revelation 14:7 AKJV Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
. and speaks of those that keep the commands, Revelation 14:12 AKJV Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Paul was not as dogmatic as you make him out to be. Romans 14:5 KJV One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Dear A. Way,
The Sabbath in Scripture was given as a commandment to the Jews on the way to Mount Sinai as part of the instructions regarding their responsibility to gather the Manna that God graciously provided for their sustenance.
When God issued the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, He issued those commandments exclusively to the Jewish nation gathered before that mountain.
As to the Fourth Commandment, God indeed told the Jewish people to “remember to keep the Sabbath” because this was a new institution to them. They had not done so before. They already had mistakenly gone out on the Sabbath day to gather Manna even though God just shortly before had told them they were to gather twice as much the day before to tide them over the Sabbath, which was to be a strict day of rest. That fully answers the issue of why they were commanded to “remember the Sabbath.”
There is NO evidence in world history, sacred or profane, that any other people group ever kept the Sabbath on a weekly basis as a day of complete rest from all labor. None. The only people who ever did so were the Jews, and a very few others closely connected with them.
Furthermore, no Pagans ever kept Sunday or the Sabbath on a weekly basis as a day of rest or worship. They knew of no such practice, except as they might have encountered it by contact with the Jews (for the Sabbath) or Christians (for worship on the First Day of the week). But no Pagans kept either the Sabbath or the First Day on a weekly basis as a day of rest or worship. None.
Paul is most certainly as dogmatic as I made him out to be. I furnished above the Scriptures that prove it. Your mere assertion to the contrary does not answer the careful documented argument from Scripture I posted above. Paul gave a double curse of damnation against those who would introduce anything into the Gospel that he did not preach to them when they were brought to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ under his initial ministry to them. Paul clearly stated to the Galatian churches that should they actually engage in Sabbath worship at the instigation of the Judaizers teaching that false doctrine among them they would be fallen from grace and Paul’s labor among them would have been rendered void, or in vain.
I trust you are faithfully reading your Bible for yourself. As for the emphasis upon the Ten Commandments, I trust you are not reading a truncated version of them but reading as they are carefully prefaced in both Exodus and Deuteronomy where the Ten Commandments are given:
Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Deu 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
Deu 5:3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
Deu 5:4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
Deu 5:5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Carefully notice that it is directly expressed in both these texts just to whom these commandments were given: those who were brought by the Lord out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Furthermore, it is explicitly stated in Deuteronomy that these commandments were both unknown to and never before given to “our fathers.”
I have shared with you the cross references to other Old Testament passages which repeat this specific claim before.
I have repeatedly affirmed that God has never changed the Sabbath to Sunday worship. The Jews, far as I know, at least those who try to make some semblance of following their Scripture, have always worshipped on the Sabbath and still do.
No one ever changed Sabbath worship to Sunday worship.
Christians engaged in regular Sunday worship from the beginning upon the resurrection of Christ on the First Day of the week, our Sunday. Christians from that time to this have kept Sunday as the chief regular day of worship. Neither the Pope nor anyone else subsequently authorized this so-called change of day of worship, for the First Day of the Week has been regarded as the day Christians regularly met for Christian worship as established by the Apostles of Christ as evidenced by their practice at the time. Even Pagan writers in the first Christian century or so wrote of the fact that Christians met for worship on the First Day of the Week. There is no record in any subsequent church history of a so-called change of the day of worship on the part of Christians from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Lord’s Day, or First Day worship time. Christians who were Jewish in the beginning of the Christian church worshiped both on the Sabbath (because they were still thinking of themselves as Jews in good standing, and took part regularly in Temple and Synagogue Sabbath worship as Jews, and for Christian witness to the Jews as commanded by Christ in Acts 1:8), and they also worshipped regularly as Christians weekly upon the First Day or Sunday. After the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and the dispersion of the Jews, those who were Jews but not Christians continued to keep the Sabbath wherever they happened to be found. Christians continued to keep Sunday, and Jewish Christians gradually until totally left off any Sabbath worship and worshiped on Sunday as Christians always had done and still do, unless they are involved with the heresy Paul warned strictly against, the heresy of Judaizing.