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To: Terabitten
The Bible says: “One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord; and he that regards not the day, to the Lord he does not regard it. He that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and gives God thanks” (Rom. 14:5-6).

Please read Romans 14:1. The issue is over "doubtful matters" - the fact is, when Paul wrote this, there was NO doubt about the Sabbath. Sadly, you do not have the context of what Paul was even talking about. The First Century believers were dealing with issues of Oral Law. The Roman congregation was 50% Jewish, and if Paul had said that the Sabbath was a "doubtful matter" he couldn't have later said in Acts 28:17, "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors..."

Rather, Paul is addressing something in Romans 14 virtually unknown in Christian circles, that is quite evident when you study First Century Judaism: the "Eighteen Measures" and "Avodah Zerah." In the First Century, these were rulings that were matters of dispute within the Judaisms of the day (some of the disciples of Hillel had been murdered over them in 20 BCE). When you study the context, you will learn there is much more to what Paul said than you are willing to simply brush off with, "nothing see here, move on."

Paul is the most-misquoted writer. It has been happening since early on:

...our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 2Peter 3:15b-16
65 posted on 05/03/2009 10:44:38 AM PDT by safisoft
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To: safisoft
The Roman congregation was 50% Jewish...

But 100% Christian (the Catholic Church).

68 posted on 05/03/2009 10:48:39 AM PDT by Petronski (Learn about the 'cytokine storm.')
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To: safisoft; Terabitten
Please read Romans 14:1. The issue is over "doubtful matters"

Good points.....and I would add.....a major factor in these disputes was vegetarianism.....and who should or should not participate (verses 2-3) and on which days they should fast (verse 6).

Paul speaks not of Sabbath days in these passages. The Greek is "HEMERA"....an ordinary day. If Paul had been speaking of Sabbath days, the term used would have been SABBATON. This chapter in Romans has nothing to do with God's Feast Days or Sabbaths and this is why people should familiarize themselves with Hebrew and Greek if they are to study the scriptures.

76 posted on 05/03/2009 11:18:11 AM PDT by Diego1618
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