Sabbath 12/9/29/120B
Dear Friends,
The question of the holiness of the Sabbath Day is addressed in CCG papers,
especially the paper Law and
the Fourth Commandment (No. 256)).
The ministry of the Worldwide Church of God introduced the practice of eating out at restaurants on the Sabbath in the period after 1967 when the Church went into spiritual decline. Many people resisted that practice. The ministry who were instrumental in that practice still try to justify that position by incoherent and unbiblical reasoning.
From its inception, CCG has condemned that practice and outlawed it among its members. Only on a mid-Feast day that was NOT a Sabbath or Holy Day, or the day of the Wave Sheaf, was eating out at restaurants allowed. As a rule CCG caters for its Feasts and very little eating occurs at restaurants anyway.
CCG people might well ask how this issue affects the Church. The answer is that it does not affect CCG as none of its people engages in those practices. It does affect people coming into the CCG and those of the Churches of God who attempt to influence others to accept that the practice is permitted. There has been a plethora of argument among the Churches of God that permit these practices of recent times.
Through His servant who became the Messiah, God said to Moses to record for the world for all time:
Exodus 10:8-11
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9: Six days you shall labor,
and do all your work; 10: but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your
God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your
manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within
your gates; 11: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed
the sabbath day and hallowed it.
What is so difficult about that concept? The Law is abundantly clear. The Sabbath is blessed and hallowed by God. The keeping of the Sabbath as Holy is a command of God. There is no excuse or way out of that command. No work is to be done on the Sabbath by anyone in your household or your employ. The Sabbath is the Seventh Day of the week known as Saturday in the modern calendar.
When you go to a restaurant you employ somebody who actually makes his living by employing people and working on the Sabbath and trading. No person who trades on the Sabbath is allowed membership in CCG. Labourers are expected to refrain from their labour and if necessary leave the employ of the firms that try to force them to work on the Sabbath. Ministers of these Churches of God who eat at restaurants would have no hesitation at removing from the Church a person that worked on the Sabbath, while they themselves are basically employing others by eating at restaurants. We have even seen people ordered to attend a function at a restaurant on a Holy Day evening.
The question often blurs when we discuss how much of any business can be owned before the Sabbath is broken. The answer is fairly simple. If you are in a position to alter the Sabbath trading of your business and you do not do so then you are sinning. If you can’t stop the trading then sell your business and your shares and do something that does not require Sabbath trading. Where possible own your own business as a tradesman so you can control the calendar in this corrupted world.
There are a few things that can be done on the Sabbath. Emergencies can and do occur, and the “ox in a ditch” situation is catered for under the Law. That involves accidents and organisations that provide those necessary services. But that does not permit planned breach of the Fourth Commandment.
We should meet together for meals on Sabbaths and for meetings in holiness to the Lord. We should dress befitting our calling and honour God and each other with our conduct and our presentation. If one of us is poor then buy them clothes befitting of their calling as a brother or sister. We have done that a number of times. From our observations, in even the poorest countries, no one would dishonour God by their presentation. That problem seems to only occur in affluent countries.
The sick have to be cared for on the Sabbath and we should care for the sick as a people of God. It is permitted to heal on the Sabbath and Christ so healed on the Sabbath. Doctors and nurses have been rostered for Sabbath duties and they commit no sin in healing. They are, however, to seek to minimise such duties and roster off to those who have no problem in doing those activities. Where possible no wages should be taken for such activity in emergency situations. However, there are certain rules against such a position at law and where that is the case then the matter is one of faith. When in doubt seek other employment.
When we travel we are often forced to stay at hotels over the Sabbath. We should try to take in the food for breakfast and lunch and eat before and after dark to minimise the impact. Where possible the brethren should ensure that no member is compromised by being left in such a dilemma. We should try not to force another person to work to feed us for pay and thereby condone the breach of the Sabbath by trading. How can you show love for someone by getting him or her to break God’s Laws?
A number of Churches of God make unbiblical allowances and get around the issue of ownership such as petrol station owners leasing the business over the Sabbath and Holy Days to their partners or employees. People are called in all stages of understanding and circumstances and it takes time to work out of those circumstances. If you are in that situation then take no funds and profit for the trade done on those days until you can resolve it. We certainly don’t want tithes from such activity. At no time should anyone actually increase their holdings and control in a business that trades on the Sabbath after they have been called, except to close it down on those days. The businesses should be closed for Sabbaths, New Moons and Holy Days and where that is not possible then disinvestment is required. Structure of a business by share ownership is still ownership of a Sabbath-trading enterprise and is condonation of an offence. Closure of a business on Sabbaths and New Moons is a great witness for the Faith.
If restaurants were closed on all Sabbaths and New Moons and everyone was keeping those days Holy and honouring God there would be no option, and we should rejoice to achieve that aim. When we pay someone to work in a trading operation on a Sabbath we cause him or her to sin, and we sin by breach of the Fourth Commandment as we read above.
God expressly forbids the simple act of trading on the Sabbath and New Moons through the prophets of the Bible (Amos 8:5).
Animals have to be fed and rosters may be required for that purpose. That is not trading.
No person is permitted to eat at a restaurant on a Sabbath unless that person
is provided food in the accommodation in which he resides, or is a guest over
an extended period. This has been the clear position of CCG since its inception
as a Church of God. Our obligation is to keep Holy the Sabbath Day as commanded
by God and we cannot do that by going back out into the world and employing
people to break the Laws of God in feeding us.
Wade Cox
Coordinator General
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