The Sabbath Is Not Just a Day of the Week
The Sabbath is a state of being! Living in the Sabbath rest is relaxing in what God has done and what He is doing. In fact, the only way to live a life that's pleasing to God is to live by trusting (having faith in) Him.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
To stop a Christian from living in the Sabbath rest, the enemy's battle plan consists of a two wave attack. The first wave is successful as long as we remain ignorant of the fact that God doesn't expect us to live by following a set of rules and regulations anymore. His purpose for the law was to get our attention --to show us that we were lost --dead in our sins and transgressions --in need of the Savior!
The second wave is much more subtle. It comes disguised in the form of religious expectations of a Christian. They are the familiar set: church membership and participation; being the spiritual leader of the family or submissive wife; having a regimented prayer time; consistent tithing and giving; daily devotional reading. There is nothing wrong with any of these, but if they are done to appear more pleasing to God, to other Christians, or even to ourselves, then they effectively become a law --a law of religious performance.
Living a religious life --trying to follow rules or living up to expectations-- is an attempt to reach up to God. On the contrary, living a life of faith is trusting God --who reached down to us through His Son-- to be at work in us.
If Not the Law, then What Is Supposed to Lead Us?
The way we are to live is by faith, --trusting God, --relying upon Him for all things. According to 1 John 4, God is love. So when we love one another, we are following where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (1 John 4:16-17)
Loving is what God is about. He demonstrated His love through Jesus who lived among us, give up everything for us, and died in our place. So loving others --as He loved us-- completes His purpose for us here on earth. This passage goes on to explain that loving one another can't happen as long as we continue to live under the law.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Galatians 5:18)
God wants use to fulfill our purpose of loving each other. But that can only happen if we aren't fearful of being punished. That's where law comes in; the power that the law has over us is the fear of punishment for not living up to His expectations. Remember Romans 8:1?
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
True Obedience Is Not Religion; It's Trusting
Living by faith is trusting God to be and do what He said. The obedience referred to throughout the New Testament is not following a set of rules to live by; it's the natural response to believing and trusting God. We are urged many times in the Scriptures to gain an intimate knowledge of God's love for us as it was expressed through His Son Jesus --and to grow in that knowledge. After learning how much He loves us, we can then respond with our love for Him.
We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
As His love grows in us, we can then grow in trusting Him. The more we trust Him after experiencing His love, the more we can love others because we won't be afraid of potential consequences --getting hurt. His love heals and covers over the troubles that others can and will cause us. Isn't that all He asks us to do: Love one another? Loving others must be very important to Him for He says:
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6)
Love opens its heart to others. It's open for joy, but also to be wounded. That's what happened to Jesus when He lived here as a man. The shortest verse in the Bible describes His tender heart: "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) It's a picture of a wounded heart. And He asks us to do the same.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)