Seventh Day Adventists (question!)

[vlucious]

I have a question and this is not in amy way to offend, or anything like that (i know how people get when someone opposes their religion) and i have not intent to do so just to gain a proper view of the religion.

every SDA, i've encountered says that they are or they consider themselves to be the "Real Christians" for the reasons that they reserve the original sabbath (*most* dont eat meat, etc..). and that we as christians should not lean upon tradition but follow directly to what the lord has ordered us to do.

so my question is, is this true? is this what they really teach that since most christians worship on sunday they arent "TRUE" christians?? i have read alot biblically on this subject and have gotten a lot of scriptures that do not prove this, but rather decline it. but nevertheless, i wanted to ask the SDA's and not draw from my own understanding of the subject.

i have more questions, but this is the one tugging on my brain!

 

[Nice & Wavy]

I have a question and this is not in amy way to offend, or anything like that (i know how people get when someone opposes their religion) and i have not intent to do so just to gain a proper view of the religion.

every SDA, i've encountered says that they are or they consider themselves to be the "Real Christians" for the reasons that they reserve the original sabbath (*most* dont eat meat, etc..). and that we as christians should not lean upon tradition but follow directly to what the lord has ordered us to do.

so my question is, is this true? is this what they really teach that since most christians worship on sunday they arent "TRUE" christians?? i have read alot biblically on this subject and have gotten a lot of scriptures that do not prove this, but rather decline it. but nevertheless, i wanted to ask the SDA's and not draw from my own understanding of the subject.

i have more questions, but this is the one tugging on my brain!

There are many threads that reveal the beliefs of the SDA. It might have some info for you there. Do a search and see what comes up.

 

[mohair]

We believe and observe the 10 commandments. Tis all. I know that I am puzzled as to why most people don't do the same

 

[ThickHair]

My grandparents were SDA and the only difference was that they went to church on Saturday's. I don't get the real Christian part. I will say that my grandmother did try to drill in my head the "On the 7th day" the lord took a rest and the 7th day is Saturday so that is the true Sabbath. In no way did she imply that since I was a baptist and went to church on Sunday, that I wasn't a real christian. All I said was ok, who is going to argue with their grandmother.

 

[NashT]

In Deuteronomy, God Declared the seventh day as the sabbath. And according His own words we should keep that day Holy.

 

[Farida]

The thing is, Sunday worship was started as a way to distract people from worship of the god of the sun or something like that. In the bible the sabbath is Saturday. The catholic church said they did so because Jesus rose on a Sunday.

IMO, I don't think God minds if you make Tuesday or Wednesday his holy day, just as long as you pick one. It's all semantics IMO.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I respect 7th day adventists even though we may disagree on which day is the day to worship in church. Because we worship Jesus Christ together, I believe that the devil is responsible for the division amongst Jesus's followers. We are all human and we all have the capability of free will and forming our own opinions about what we read in the Bible. The problem, IMO comes in when one condemns another for a certain belief. Christians of all denominations could stand to learn more tolerance. Myself included.

Mark 9
38"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." 39"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.


The only problem I have is with anyone who claims to be a Christian but does not believe
1. In the Holy Trinity
2. That Jesus is Gods only begotten son
3. That we are saved through grace and not by anything in our own power

tis all

 

[HeChangedMyName]

The thing is, Sunday worship was started as a way to distract people from worship of the god of the sun or something like that. In the bible the sabbath is Saturday. The catholic church said they did so because Jesus rose on a Sunday.

Sort of, When Constantine was in charge, the Roman Catholic Church was basically running all things both governmental and religious. To appease both the pagans and Christians, he enacted Sunday as the day of worship for all people in the Roman Kingdom. It turns out that Sunday was named after the Sun God that many pagans worshipped anyhow. However, I still stand by God's Word that says, "You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done." Gen 50:20 NCV


So any tricks that the devil throws our way, God has the power to turn things around. Whose to say that if worship had only been restricted to Saturdays, that less people might still be lost in the world. I too look at the fact that we have a two day weekend and most people don't work on Saturdays anyhow, and we are suppose to be in continual prayer and worshipping God so you automatically would be getting in some worship and rest anyway on Saturdays. Sundays are a bonus IMO.

 

[Paradox]

Most people who go to church on Sunday, don't keep it holy, and cut out self centered activities...
so once those people can manage to keep Sunday holy, and not go home and watch football, then maybe we can discuss Saturday.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

Most people who go to church on Sunday, don't keep it holy, and cut out self centered activities...
so once those people can manage to keep Sunday holy, and not go home and watch football, then maybe we can discuss Saturday.

hmmmmm, interesting Oneya, very interesting indeed.

 

[divya]

I'm a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian. Many people have distorted views of our faith, so I'm happy to answer your questions.

Firstly, we believe that belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior makes one a Christian. It's not that we believe that we are the real Christians as opposed to anyone else, as only the Lord knows the heart. We do, however, strive to love God and keep His commandments. That includes the seventh-day Sabbath, dietary laws, baptism etc.

When it comes to the Sabbath, it is a common misconception that our stance is about the day one worships. We should worship God everyday. The Sabbath, however, is to be kept holy. Keeping the Sabbath holy isn't just about attending church, but dedicating the entire day to God and God alone. All worldly concerns and pleasures are to be set aside. The Sabbath is a day of rest, reflection and true focus on God. It begins from sundown Friday evening to sundown on Saturday. Jesus Himself gave us an example by keeping the Sabbath in life and in death. Every Sabbath He dedicated to God, and even in death, He rested on the Sabbath and rose on Sunday.

We reject Sunday as any replacement for the Sabbath, because as SuperNova stated, Sunday worship is pagan in origin. It was instituted to bring pagans and Christians under one government. Let me emphasize, however, that worship is not restricted to Saturday, but the Bible states that only the seventh-day can be kept holy. "Remember the Sabbath day" not to worship, but "to keep it holy." It continues by stating that six days we are to labor and do all our work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There is a difference between worshiping and keeping Sabbath holy. The latter entails far more than the former and has a special purpose for us. We also believe that as God specified the day to be kept holy, we should observe that particular day.

In regards to meat, there are SDAs who are vegetarian, vegan and meat-eaters. We believe that a healthy lifestyle is part of our duty as Christians, as our body is the temple of God. We do not eat pork, and a proper vegetarian diet is encouraged among other healthy habits.

Let me know if you have any more questions...

 

[divya]

Most people who go to church on Sunday, don't keep it holy, and cut out self centered activities...
so once those people can manage to keep Sunday holy, and not go home and watch football, then maybe we can discuss Saturday.

Thank you for making this point. Many times first-day Christians attempt to make this an issue of day of worship (see TD Jakes' sermon), when it is about God instructing His people to keep the seventh-day holy. Often times people miss the difference.

One group of first-day keepers does seem to attempt to treat Sunday like the Sabbath, and that is Lutherans. Their stores nearby me close every Sunday, just like all SDA stores close on the Sabbath. I can respect that, although I do believe in the Biblical Sabbath.

Also, there are other Sabbath-day keeping Christians who uphold the Biblical Sabbath as we do.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I'm a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian. Many people have distorted views of our faith, so I'm happy to answer your questions.

Firstly, we believe that belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior makes one a Christian. It's not that we believe that we are the real Christians as opposed to anyone else, as only the Lord knows the heart. We do, however, strive to love God and keep His commandments. That includes the seventh-day Sabbath, dietary laws, baptism etc.

When it comes to the Sabbath, it is a common misconception that our stance is about the day one worships. We should worship God everyday. The Sabbath, however, is to be kept holy. Keeping the Sabbath holy isn't just about attending church, but dedicating the entire day to God and God alone. All worldly concerns and pleasures are to be set aside. The Sabbath is a day of rest, reflection and true focus on God. It begins from sundown Friday evening to sundown on Saturday. Jesus Himself gave us an example by keeping the Sabbath in life and in death. Every Sabbath He dedicated to God, and even in death, He rested on the Sabbath and rose on Sunday.

We reject Sunday as any replacement for the Sabbath, because as SuperNova stated, Sunday worship is pagan in origin. It was instituted to bring pagans and Christians under one government. Let me emphasize, however, that worship is not restricted to Saturday, but the Bible states that only the seventh-day can be kept holy. "Remember the Sabbath day" not to worship, but "to keep it holy." It continues by stating that six days we are to labor and do all our work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There is a difference between worshiping and keeping Sabbath holy. The latter entails far more than the former and has a special purpose for us. We also believe that as God specified the day to be kept holy, we should observe that particular day.

In regards to meat, there are SDAs who are vegetarian, vegan and meat-eaters. We believe that a healthy lifestyle is part of our duty as Christians, as our body is the temple of God. We do not eat pork, and a proper vegetarian diet is encouraged among other healthy habits.

Let me know if you have any more questions...

Thanks and very well said. I have a question because as a person who attends church on Sunday, I do understand that Saturday is the actual Sabbath like you said from Friday @ Sundown to Sunday @ sundown. So what types of things can one do on the Sabbath? For a lot of people, Saturday is sort of a lazy day and a day to sleep late and do nothing. Is there anything specific that you can shed light on what we should be doing on the Sabbath? I love that you said that the Sabbath day is not the only day restricted to worship. I agree in that we all should be worshipping every minute of everyday in order to keep ourselves in line with God's will.

 

[divya]

Thanks and very well said. I have a question because as a person who attends church on Sunday, I do understand that Saturday is the actual Sabbath like you said from Friday @ Sundown to Sunday @ sundown. So what types of things can one do on the Sabbath? For a lot of people, Saturday is sort of a lazy day and a day to sleep late and do nothing. Is there anything specific that you can shed light on what we should be doing on the Sabbath? I love that you said that the Sabbath day is not the only day restricted to worship. I agree in that we all should be worshipping every minute of everyday in order to keep ourselves in line with God's will.

There are many things that we can do to keep the Sabbath holy. Preparing for Sabbath is like preparing for the President to come to meet with you, except it is the Almighty God Himself. So we should take care of all errands, and cook and clean beforehand etc. We do not work.*exception at the end of post* That way the cares of this world do not take our mind from Him on the Sabbath.

When sundown Friday comes, we usually open the Sabbath with worship - prayer, singing to God and study. It's something many Adventist families do within the home. Many churches also have a Vespers service, where you come together to open the Sabbath.

On Sabbath morning, we attend church to praise God and fellowship with fellow believers. That is always followed up with Sabbath lunch at church, home, church member's home etc. After church, there are a host of things to do on Sabbath. Here are some things that can be done with church family, own family, home:

Prayer and personal study. Sabbath is a time to fellowship with the Lord. Spending personal, quiet time with God is always beneficial.

Group study. Often, we study as groups/attend seminars that focus on specific areas of the Bible.

Participate in ministries. My church, for example, has over 40 ministries. Some of these include Prison Ministries, Duets (for married/serious couples), Community Service (which includes feeding the homeless etc.) Mission Outreach (witnessing), Religious Liberty, Health Ministry etc. So on Sabbath, there are many activities that are focused on Godly things. In the Bible, it says that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath (Mark 3:4). So those things that help uplift each other as humans and share the Word of God are definitely Sabbath activities.

Spend time in nature. God reveals Himself in all His creations, so something nice to do is to go to a park and walk, study etc.

Adventist Youth Society. It’s for young people to come together and serve/praise God. Usually this is held on Sabbath evening, closing the Sabbath.


We close the Sabbath, just as we open it - with prayer, singing and study.

There are likely other activities that are not mentioned here, but Sabbath is really a wonderful time. When you truly keep it, it really reveals God’s purpose for it. You look forward to every Sabbath with God, to leave all the cares of the world behind. Don’t get me wrong though. The Devil is busy with any distraction that he can put in your way to get you away from God, but that is nothing that prayer cannot conquer. So I hope this helps and surely God can reveal to you much more than I ever can. But I do hope that you and others come to love and enjoy the Sabbath. There is nothing like it!

Here are some guidelines for Sabbath-keeping that our church gives. It’s long but very helpful!

http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/other_documents/other_doc6.html

*We do not work, unless our work entails health-care/lives of others (medicine). Even there, we are careful that our duties are in line with the purpose of the Sabbath. If our medical work is not an emergency/essential, then we put it aside. See the guidelines above for more.*

 

[Farida]

Thank you for making this point. Many times first-day Christians attempt to make this an issue of day of worship (see TD Jakes' sermon), when it is about God instructing His people to keep the seventh-day holy. Often times people miss the difference.

One group of first-day keepers does seem to attempt to treat Sunday like the Sabbath, and that is Lutherans. Their stores nearby me close every Sunday, just like all SDA stores close on the Sabbath. I can respect that, although I do believe in the Biblical Sabbath.

Also, there are other Sabbath-day keeping Christians who uphold the Biblical Sabbath as we do.

I think it is also a cultural issue. When I was growing up in Kenya, keeping Sundays holy was not a denominational thing, everything was shut down on Sundays. Everything! The city was a ghost-town, people were at church then at home with family.

I went to a Lutheran undergrad and they went to services on Sunday and many of them had to go to work afterwards.

In the U.S. I find people have trouble doing that. A large portion of my family is SDA and many of them have to work on weekends - they are in the medical industry or some other type of 24/7 guardianship. They ca get some weekends off but end up having to work some.

 

[divya]

]I think it is also a cultural issue[/B]. When I was growing up in Kenya, keeping Sundays holy was not a denominational thing, everything was shut down on Sundays. Everything! The city was a ghost-town, people were at church then at home with family.

I went to a Lutheran undergrad and they went to services on Sunday and many of them had to go to work afterwards.

In the U.S. I find people have trouble doing that. A large portion of my family is SDA and many of them have to work on weekends - they are in the medical industry or some other type of 24/7 guardianship. They ca get some weekends off but end up having to work some.

I would certainly agree with the issue of culture. American society is different, and people just work more here than in many other societies. SDA's typically regard medical work as acceptable on the Sabbath, as noted in my post. Health is considered a ministry in itself.