Crucified in Christ / Christ In the Believer

Early Christians were persecuted for the cross of Christ.  They boasted or gloried in nothing but the cross of Christ, by which the world was crucified unto them and they unto the world.  By dying to their former life under the law and living a new life based on faith in the Son of God, early converts were crucified with Christ.  Believers were no longer compelled to be circumcised, for through the law they had died to the law, so they might live to God.  Having been spiritually transformed and crucified in this manner, Christ now lived in every believer and the life that they now lived, they lived by faith in the Son of God.

At Galatians 6:12 & 14, Paul’s states:  “12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.  14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

At Galatians 2:19-20, the Apostle Paul states:  “19 For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.  20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

The Cross, Uniting Two Peoples Into One Body & Abolishing the Law

Through His shed blood on the cross, Christ broke down the wall of hostility that had existed between the Jews (the nation of Israel) and the Gentiles (the people of the nations).  Christ accomplished this by abolishing or cancelling out the Law of Moses, which consisted of 613 commandments or ordinances.  In so doing, Christ created one new man or body out of two distinct groups of people.  By His shed blood on the cross, Christ reconciled the Jewish and Gentile believers into one body (the church), thus establishing peace between these two peoples.

Note, how the Apostle Paul explains this at Ephesians 2:11-17:  “11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands –12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.  17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near.”

Paul went on to state at Colossians 1:19-22:  “19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.  21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

Christ, A Curse For Us / The Law Abolished

According to the Law of Moses, any man hung on a tree or stake was considered someone accursed by God.  A man who had been put to death in this manner was to be taken down by sundown and buried.  (Refer to Deuteronomy 21:22 &23)  Christ, by undergoing crucifixion (death on a tree), released us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us.  In this way, He bore all of our sins on the cross and redeemed us as sinners.  Christ cancelled out the Law of Moses, which was hostile to us. 

Due to inherent sin, no imperfect human had ever kept the law.  Consequently, all of sinful mankind was in a condemned status before Almighty God and in need of a redeemer.  The law made men conscious of their wrongdoings and the extent of their sin, thereby requiring a Savior, Jesus Christ.   In this way, the law led us to Christ.  (See Romans 5:6-21)  Only Christ as a perfect man could keep the law, which was itself perfect.  By living a sinless life, Christ fulfilled the law.  (See Matthew 5:17-18)  Through His sacrificial death, Christ canceled out the certificate of debt and took it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 states:  “22 And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is accursed by God. . .”

At Acts 5:30, it states:  “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree.”

Acts 10:39 states:  “And we are witnesses to all that He did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.  They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree.”

At Galatians 3:13, the Apostle Paul states:  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.'”

The Apostle Peter states at 1 Peter 2:24:  “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By His wounds you have been healed.”

Paul at Galatians 3:19 states:   “What then you ask was the purpose of the law?  It was a later addition, to make men conscious of their wrongdoings (the existence and extent of sin), until the arrival of the ‘Seed‘ (Christ) to Whom the promise was made.”

At Colossians 2:13-14, Paul states:  “13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled (blotted, wiped ) out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us (the law, the hand written document, the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments, the bond written in ordinances), which was hostile to us (stood against us, always hung over our heads); and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

The Apostle Paul at Ephesians 2:13-17 states:  “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity (He has put an end to the law with its decrees, He annulled the law with its rules and regulations, He removed the hostility of the law, with all its commandments and rules), which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.  17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near.”  (Previously cited)

Romans 10: 4 states:  “For Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified.”

Christ’s primary objective in coming was not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.  Christ fulfilled the law by keeping it perfectly and shedding His blood on the cross.  The law was perfect and was given by God the Father, through Moses as mediator, to the nation of Israel.  God henceforth entered into a covenant with the Jewish people.  By having the law and the prophets accomplished and fulfilled in Himself, Christ annulled the law with its many rules and regulations.  

Jesus at Matthew 5:17-18 states:  “17 Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.  18 For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”

John 1:17 states:  “The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

In fulfilling the law and declaring its end in Himself, Jesus spoke these dying words at John 10:30:  “‘. . . It is finished;’ and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

No longer would one be judged in regards to food and drink or with regards to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.*  The Law of Moses was a shadow of the things to come, but the true substance or reality was in Christ.  The Apostle Paul urged the Galatian church not to go back to celebrating days and months and seasons and years, submitting themselves to slavery again under the law.

The Apostle Paul wrote at Colossians 2:16-17:  “16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.  17 These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance (the reality) belongs to Christ.

The Apostle Paul stated at Galatians 4:4-7 & 9-11:  “4 But when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  7 So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.  9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more?  10 You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years!  11 I am afraid I have labored over you in vain.”

The Old Covenant / The New Covenant

The old covenant (the Law of Moses) was rendered obsolete and replaced by a new covenant, which was mediated by Christ and based on the law of love.  This new covenant was to be written in the hearts and minds of believers and not by some written legal code.

Hebrews 8:6-13 states:  “6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is much more excellent than the old as the covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.  7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second.  8 For He (God) finds fault with them when He says: ‘The days will come, says the LORD (Yahweh)  when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; 9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them says the LORD.  10 This is my covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the LORD: ‘I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  11 And they shall not teach everyone his fellow or everyone his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for all shall know me, from the least of them, to the greatest.  12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.’  13 In speaking of the new covenant He treats the first as obsolete.  And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

The laws based on love of God and love of neighbor, now fell under the new covenant.  These laws would have been all inclusive in loving God with your whole heart, soul, and mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself.  Such laws would have included: thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, etc.  These were laws that every Christian would have instinctively obeyed, because they were now walking in the Spirit.  Such laws were based on the law of love and were now written in the hearts and minds of every believer.  Early Christians were no longer bound by what was written in some legal code, but were now under the law of liberty, “If you love your neighbor as yourself, you have fulfilled the law.”

Jesus stated at Matthew 22:37-40:  “37 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  38 This is the great (greatest) and first commandment,  39 The second is like it.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  40 On these two commandments depend (hang, are contained, are summed up) all the law and the prophets.”

The Apostle Paul wrote at Romans 13:8-10:  “8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.  9 The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this one sentence, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Paul, at Galatians 5:14 & 18 states:  “14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.”

James, at James 2: 8-12 states:  “8 If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,‘ you do well. . . 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. . . 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. ”

 The Jerusalem Synod

The book of Acts documents the only synod to ever be held in the first century Christian church.  This large gathering in Jerusalem, included all of the apostles and elders of the early church.  Its purpose was to determine what was legally binding from the Law of Moses, on early Christians.  Many of the early Christian converts were Gentiles.  Some of the sect of the Pharisees had risen up, and were declaring that it was necessary for Christians (including Gentile converts) to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses.

Wikipedia states: “The first Gentiles to become Christians were God fearers, people who believed in the truth of Judaism but had not become proselytes (see Cornelius the Centurion).^[48] As Gentiles joined the young Christian movement, the question of whether they should convert to Judaism and observe the Torah (such as food laws, male circumcision, and Sabbath observance) gave rise to various answers.  Some Christians demanded full observance of the Torah and required Gentile converts to become Jews.  Others, such as Paul, believed that the Torah was no longer binding because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  In the middle were Christians who believed Gentiles should follow some of the Torah but not all of it. ”

James (the half brother of Jesus) presided over the assembly, under the guidance and auspicious of the Holy Spirit.  The councils purpose was to determine, once and for all, what was legally binding on the early church.  The final renderings of this apostolic council were given: to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from fornication (sexual immorality), from things strangled, and from eating or drinking blood.  (See Bible Topic: “God’s Word On the Sanctity of Blood”)  Any restrictions beyond this councils renderings would have been considered legalistic and an attempt to further burden the church under the Law of Moses.  This would have included legalistic mandates such as circumcision, tithing, observing the sabbath, etc.*  The decrees that were laid down by the Holy Spirit and the apostles are still binding on Christians throughout the world today.

Acts Ch. 15:4-18 states:  “Now when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.’  Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.  And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them:  ‘Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.  Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.’
Then the entire multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.  And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon (Peter) has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.  And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written.  (Amos 9:11-): After this I will return; and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who will do these things…'”

The following letter was then sent to all the churches.  Acts 15:28-29 states:  “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden (trouble) than these necessary things; that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols (drink or meat sacrificed to idols)  (See 1 Cor. 10:14-22) and from blood (eating or drinking blood) (See Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:10-14; Deut. 12:23-25) and what has been strangled (eating or touching the carcass of a dead animal, not bled)  (See Lev. 11:39-40, 17:15-16; Deut. 14:21) and from unchastity (fornication, sexual immorality)  (See 1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:19).  If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well (you will be doing right).  Farewell.”

This letter from the Jerusalem council was a referendum on all forms of legalism, future, past, and present.  The letter was sent out to all the churches.  It freed all believers from the burden of keeping the Law of Moses.  The councils final rendering was clear: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden (trouble) than these necessary things; that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols (drink or meat sacrificed to idols) and from blood (eating or drinking blood) and what has been strangled (eating or touching the carcass of a dead animal, not bled) and from unchastity (fornication, sexual immorality).  If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well (you will be doing right).” 

The Jerusalem synod was arguably the most important event of the New Testament church.  Ironically, this letter, which contains the rulings set forth by the Holy Spirit and the apostles, is rarely, if ever, read in any church or for that matter preached from the pulpit.  (See Matthew 18:18-20)  After the Jerusalem synod, early Christians were no longer bound by what was written in some legal code. 

Legalism in the Church

Once the apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, had ruled on what legal requirements were binding on the church, any further burdening of the body with legalistic restrictions would have been off limits.  In view of all the above scriptural evidence, many churches still insist on putting their members under law.  Usually this is done by selectively choosing certain legal requirements from the Law of Moses, not sanctioned by the apostles and imposing them on fellow believers.  Christ released us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us.  The Apostle Paul made it clear that if one mandates the keeping of one law from the Law of Moses, they are obligated to keep the whole law.  A true believer is not justified by works of the law, but is declared righteous and justified by faith and God’s grace.  Those who pursue being justified by law are cursed and severed from Christ.  They have fallen away from grace.

Galatians 2:4-5 & 15-16 states:  “4 But because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage– 5 to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.  15 We ourselves who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners,  16 yet who know that a man is not justified by works of law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.”

Romans 3:20 states:  “For by works of the law (the Law of Moses) no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

Romans 3:28 states:  “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (the Law of Moses).”

Romans 10: 4 states:  “For Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified.”  (Previously cited)

Galatians 3:10-13 states:  “10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them.’  11 Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live‘;  12 but the law does not rest on faith, for ‘He who does them shall live by them.’  13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. . .”

Galatians 5:1-6 states:  “1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.  3 I testify again to every man that receives circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law.  4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.  5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness.  6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.”

James 2:8-12 states:  “8 If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,‘ you do well. . . 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. . . 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. ” (Previously cited)

New forms of Legalism

Legalism not only encompasses laws that are no longer binding from the Law of Moses.  Legalism can also include the adaptation of new laws that do not appear in either the Law of Moses or in the early church record.  This would include laws that were never sanctioned by the apostles or the Holy Spirit.  Some denominations go so far as to excommunicate members, who do not strictly adhere to their man-made doctrines and traditions.

The Apostle Paul prophesied that there would be some who would depart from the faith and give heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.  In his letter to Timothy, Paul prophesied of the future appearance of two man-made doctrines, mandatory celibacy and forbidding to eat certain foods or meats. 

1 Timothy 4:1-5 states:  Now the Spirit says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,  2 through the pretensions of liars (men speaking lies through hypocrisy, through the hypocrisy of men who teach falsely, teachers will tell lies with straight faces) whose consciences are seared (with a branding iron, cauterized),  3 who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods (abstain from certain kinds of foods, meats) which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth (understand, hold the faith and have a full knowledge of the truth).  4 For everything created by God is good (every creature of God is good), and nothing is to be rejected (refused, tabooed) if it is to be received with thanksgiving;  5 for then it is consecrated (sanctified) by the word of God and prayer.

The Apostle Paul and Apollos applied this directive to themselves and to all the brethren, that they not go beyond the things written.

The Apostle Paul at 1 Corinthians 4:6 wrote:  “I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. . .”

We could take an example of legalism that is quite common in various denominations, abstaining from alcohol.  The Bible never condemns or prohibits the drinking of alcohol, either in the Law of Moses or in the early church record.  Abstinence from alcohol was never included in the rulings by the apostles.  (See Acts Ch. 15)  What the Bible condemns is getting drunk!  Jesus drank wine and was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.  (See Matthew 11:18-19 & Luke 7:34)  The wine that Jesus drank was capable of getting someone drunk, otherwise the religious leaders would have had no grounds for making such an accusation.  Jesus changed the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, miraculously converting 6 caldrons (stone jars) of water into wine (25-30 gallons each, a total of 180 gallons).  He was not against people having a good time.  This miracle caused the host of the wedding feast to exclaim, “most save the inferior wine for last, and after people have drunk a lot (dulling their senses), they serve the inferior wine; but you have saved the best wine for last.”  (John 2:1-11)  Many legalists claim that the wine in ancient times was simply non-alcoholic grape juice.  This claim is a scriptural myth!*  Wine is recorded in scripture as an alcoholic beverage and capable of getting someone drunk, dating all the way back to the flood.  Noah was recorded to have gotten drunk on wine.  (See Genesis 9:20-24)  Early Christians in Corinth were getting drunk on wine and eating and drinking ahead of other believers, when gathering to celebrate the Lord’s evening meal.  (1 Corinthians 11:20-22)  Drunkenness is listed in the New Testament as a work of the flesh.  ( See 1 Corinthians 5:11 & Galatians 5:18-21, Ephesians 5:18)  Once again, it was not the drinking of wine that was a sin, but rather drinking in excess and getting drunk.  The book of Proverbs testifies to the potential danger of over indulgence with wine, which could result in drunkenness and alcoholism.  (See Proverbs 20:1, 23:20-21, 29:23-35)   Wine was also used as a disinfectant for wounds in ancient times, for stomach problems, and in the celebration of the Eucharist.  (See Luke 10:34, 1 Timothy 5:23, & 1 Corinthians 11:20-22)  Isaiah prophesied about the new earth and that the inhabitants would be drinking wine.  (Isaiah 25:6-8)  As in so many of these areas, the excess or abuse of anything is paramount in deciding whether a Christian should, or should not, engage in something in accord with their own conscience.  Unless a ruling to abstain or refrain from something was directly issued by Christ or the apostles, a Christian exercises moderation in all things and in accordance with his or her own individual conscience.

Many Christians reference passages such as Romans 12:1-2 & 1 Corinthians 6:19, to justify their mandating certain legal restrictions on fellow believers; that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be holy and undefiled, a living sacrifice to God.

Romans 12:1-2 states:  “I appeal to you therefore brethren; by the mercies of God; to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states:  “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God.  You are not your own; 20 you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.

In glorifying your body, the question to ask is whether or not a legal restriction was given by Christ or the apostles.  (See Acts Ch. 15)  If not, it is a human law!  We have already given some examples of human legalism: abstaining from alcohol, forbidding marriage (mandatory celibacy), and forbidding the eating of certain foods or meats.

In principal of keeping your body healthy and holy, a Christian might encourage and set an example for other believers, by not eating junk food or eating at fast food places.  They may abstain from eating refined sugar, white flour, deep fried foods, sweets, pastries, or drinking soft drinks.  They might also share evidence to other believers that these types of denatured foods have been proven to promote heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, etc.  This type of self discipline is admirable and in principal of honoring their body and maintaining optimal health and fitness, they may be correct and should be commended. Yet they cannot legally mandate or burden another believer with these mandates, as they are never mentioned in scripture or legally sanctioned by the early church.  A person might eat junk food or frequent a fast food place, once a day, once a week, once a month, once a year, or rarely if ever.  The same might apply to alcoholic usage, caffeine usage, tobacco usage, etc.  In principal, the question then arises how often or how much?  Once again, by keeping your body holy and acceptable, a living sacrifice to God, we can set a good example and encourage other believers to keep these practices at a minimal, but we do not have the right to forbid or mandate that a believer totally abstain from such practices; something that might prove to be quite difficult in our modern society.  Doing so opens up a Pandora’s box of legalistic restrictions, with believers finding reason to attack other believers, using the rational, “If they can engage in a particular practice, then why can’t I engage in some other practice, that is no more harmful or deleterious to the body?”  

It is essential for a Christian to stay within the legal bounds that God set forth in the new covenant.  Going beyond the things written, as handed down by Christ and the apostles, and burdening others with man-made doctrines and traditions is a sin.  Christ condemned the scribes and Pharisees for going beyond the things that were written in the old covenant (the Law of Moses) and teaching commands and traditions of men as doctrine.  It is estimated that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had added 660 of their own man made laws, to the already 613 laws of the Mosaic covenant.  By adding their own legalistic restrictions, the scribes and Pharisees were caught up in a seemingly endless, self perpetuating, legacy of man-made doctrines and traditions.  This atmosphere of religious control, by burdening others with man-made doctrines and traditions, generated a climate of fear and control and intimidation, where others had the right to attack their fellow brethren and threaten or bully them into submission.  In essence, first century Judaism became a cult!

Jesus said to the Pharisees at John 7:19:  “Did not Moses give you the law?  Yet none of you keeps the law.”  (Read also Matthew Ch. 23, where Jesus exposed the man-made traditions & doctrines of the scribes & Pharisees)

This atmosphere of legalism was emerging in the Galatian church, where Judaizers who had converted to Christianity were attempting to subjugate Gentile believers into observing the Law of Moses, insisting they be circumcised.  Instead of existing in Christian freedom, by loving their neighbor as themselves and walking in the Spirit, the Galatians were being deceived into adopting circumcision and obeying the Law of Moses.  This created a witch hunt atmosphere, where Jewish believers were monitoring Gentile believers in their every day practices and behaviors, thereby causing fellow believers to turn on one another. 

The Apostle Paul wrote at Galatians 5:13-15:  “13 You were called to freedom (liberty), brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.  14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  15 But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another (are not destroyed by one another, do not annihilate one another).”

The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, at Titus 1:10-11 & 13-16:  “10 For there are many insubordinate men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially the circumcision party; 11 they must be silenced since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach.  13 This testimony is true.  Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith, 14 instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of men who reject the truth.  13 To the pure (or clean) all things are pure (or clean), but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure (or clean); their very minds and consciences are corrupted.  16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds (or works); they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed (work).”

Romans 10:1-4 states:  “1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.  2 I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.  3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.  4 For Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified.”

A classic example of this were the scribes and Pharisees who criticized Christ’s disciples for not washing their hands, before eating a meal.  Anyone, by today’s standards of medical hygiene, might make an argument for washing one’s hands before eating a meal.  Yet strangely enough, this was never required in the Law of Moses.  By following the law, the Jews were blessed with good health.  Maybe there was something that God knew, that we don’t.  By not washing their hands before eating a meal, it would allow their bodies to build up an immunity to various strains of bacteria and viruses.  Jesus called out the religious leaders for transgressing the law and exposed their hypocrisy in the following passage.

Matthew 15:1-3 & 6-9 states:  “1 Then the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 ‘Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not not wash their hands when they eat.’  3 He (Jesus) answered them, ‘And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?'”

At Matthew 15:6-9, Jesus stated further:  “6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God (made the word of God invalid).  7 You hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophecy of you when he said:  8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts (commands) of men.'”

This is a classic example of legalism, where the scribes and Pharisees crossed over from God’s law, to their own law.  Jesus did things at times, that in the eyes of the religious leaders, bordered right on the periphery of breaking the law:

1. Not washing His hands before eating a meal.  (Rd. Matthew 15:1-3)

2. Picking and eating grain on the sabbath.  (Rd. Mark 2:23-24)

3. Healing on the sabbath.  (Rd. Luke 6:1-5, Luke 13:10-17, John 7:22-24, John 5:8-18)

4. Eating and drinking with prostitutes, drunkards, and tax collectors.  (Rd. Matthew 11:18-19, Matthew 9:10-13, Matthew 21:31-32, Luke 15:1-2) 

Yet the whores, drunkards, and tax collectors were going ahead of the religious leaders into the kingdom!  One might ask, “What kind of an environment was Jesus in that He would be socializing with these kinds of  people?”  As Jesus said, He did not come to call healthy people to repentance, but sick people.  Jesus also did these things because He knew it would infuriate the religious leaders and open up a debate, exposing their fanaticism and legalism.

A common psychological ploy in persuading others to submit to legalism is to say; “Oh come on, you know its wrong!” or “You are correct, it is true that the Bible never says anything about that, but why would you want to put yourself in a position where you might do something wrong?”  The legalist then attempts to burden a brother or sister with fear and guilt, by troubling their conscience and making them submit to man-made doctrines and traditions.  This is all in an attempt to make a person accountable to them for their actions, actions which really fall under an area of conscience.

Simply put, if it is in God’s law, obey it!  If it is not in God’s law, you are not bound to it!  This would also apply to all areas of life, especially those areas not clearly defined in scripture.  A mature Christian uses their Spirit guided God given conscience, in deciding what is right and wrong.  Ex. music, art, grooming, dress, private life, food, drink, marriage, etc.

Hebrews 5:14 states:  “But solid food is for the mature (mature people, full grown men, mature Christians), for those whose faculties (perceptive powers, senses), have been trained by practice to distinguish between good (right, morally good) and evil (wrong).”

The rulings by the apostles and Holy Spirit are what are legally binding on Christians, regardless of how logical, contemporary, or scientific, we might personally think something to be.  “For the Holy Spirit and we ourselves have added no further burden to you except these necessary things: that you abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from things strangled, and from eating or drinking blood.”  Acts 15:28-29  Anything else that someone comes up with is entering the realm of human legalism, regardless of how they try to rationalize it!

The Spirit Opposed to the Law

The Apostle Paul, at Galatians 5:16-24 states:  “16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.  17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.  18 If you are led by the Spirit you are not under law.  19 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,  20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.  I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self control; against such there is no law,  24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

A Christian who is walking in the Spirit and led by the Spirit will avoid the works and desires of the flesh.  If one is led by the Spirit, they are not under law.  By exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit, against which there is no law, those who belong to Christ successfully crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.

Gone are the legal restrictions and rulings found in the Law of Moses, and the legalistic (man-made) restrictions and doctrines found in many churches.  Let no man pass judgment on you in respect to food and drink, or in regard to a festival or a sabbath, the reality or substance is in Christ.  Those who submit to legal regulations and impose them on others are actually worshiping angels or demons.  They make a pious, self righteous, appearance to others by outwardly displaying self rigor of devotion and self abasement and severity to the body, a form of self denial.  By burdening other believers with legalism, they deny themselves and others the right to be led by the Spirit and use their own God given conscience.  Instead, they impose regulations such as: do not handle, do not taste, do not touch, things which have no real value in checking the indulgence of the flesh. 

The Apostle Paul at Colossians 2:16-23 wrote:  “16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.  17 These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance (reality) belongs to Christ.  18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head (Christ), from whom the whole body (the church), nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.  20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belong to the world?  Why do you submit to regulations, 21 ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’  22 (referring to things which all perish as they are used), according to human precepts and doctrines.  23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self rigor of devotion and self abasement and severity of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.”

Avoid Judging Others

The Apostle Paul admonished Christians not to be judging others in areas of conscience, such as food, drink, or observing days, etc.   

The Apostle Paul wrote at Romans 14:1-12 states: 

“¹ Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions. ² One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is weak eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge the servant of another?  To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ⁵ One person values one day over another, another values every day the same.  Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and the one who eats, does so with regard to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God. ⁷ For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; ⁸ for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. ¹⁰ But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt?  For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For it is written:  ‘As I live, says the Lord, to Me every knee will bow, and every tongue will give praise to God.’ ¹² So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. ¹³ Therefore let us not judge one another anymore. . . ”   

Jesus stated at Mark 7:19:  “Thus He (God) declared all foods clean.”  (See also Genesis 9:3, & Acts 10:14-15 & 11:8-9)

The Apostle Paul is admonishing members of the the early church, not to be judging or imposing their own individual consciences and opinions on other believers.  A believer has a scriptural right to eat or not eat certain foods or value one day over another, both an area of personal conscience and choice.  Paul then charges believers not to be judging their brothers or sisters, for each of us will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and render an account.  Therefore let us not judge one another anymore.

An example of this might be an early Jewish believer, who had converted from Judaism to Christianity.  He grew up observing the weekly sabbath and refuses to eat pork or anything unclean, according to the Law of Moses.  There is nothing in the above scriptural passage, that says he cannot continue observing the sabbath, if he chooses, or desist from eating pork or anything unclean.  This would be his God given right, in accord with his own mind and conscience.  In the future, he will appear before the judgment seat of God and stand or fall before the Lord.  It would be inappropriate for another Christian to judge this man, as these were customs he had practiced all his life.  They were not pagan customs, but were customs from the Law of Moses.  On the other hand, it would be wrong for this man to impose his observance of the sabbath or his refraining from eating pork or anything unclean, on a Gentile believer or a new convert.  These legal regulations and restrictions were never reinstated from the Law of Moses, as part of the apostle’s rulings for the early church and Gentile believers.  (See Acts Ch. 15)

This passage in Romans is a bulwark against legalism in the church, which often results in a witch hunt atmosphere.  A believer has a right to exercise their own conscience in areas, not specifically mandated in Holy Scripture.  Paul’s strong admonition offsets any attempt by others to attack a fellow believer, for something which is clearly an area of individual conscience.

Avoid Stumbling Others

The Apostle Paul also wrote not to be putting a stumbling block in a brother or sister’s way.  In the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing is unclean in itself, but to the one who thinks something is unclean, to that person it is unclean.  All things are clean, but it is evil to the one who eats or drinks and causes offense.  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles. 

The Apostle Paul wrote at Romans 12:13-23:

¹³ Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather ^[a]determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. ¹⁴ I know and am convinced ^[b]in the Lord Jesus that nothing is ^[c]unclean in itself; but to the one who thinks something is ^[d]unclean, to that person it is ^[e]unclean. ¹⁵ For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer walking in accordance with love.  Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be ^[f]spoken of as evil; ¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For the one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by other people. ¹⁹ So then we pursue the things ^[g]which make for peace and the building up of one another. ²⁰ Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food.  All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the person who eats ^[h]and causes offense. ²¹ It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles. ²² The faith which you have, have ^[i]as your own conviction before God.  Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³ But the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. 

There may be situations where a believer in their own personal or private life, exercises Christian freedom in accord with their own individual conscience. This would include eating or drinking.  In such cases, there may be no legal mandate or restriction found in Holy Scripture.  All things are declared clean.  Within the perimeters of their own personal life, a Christian may have every right to engage in what they are doing.  They may at some point, inadvertently, exhibit a particular practice or behavior in the sight of other believers.  Scripturally and legally they may have a right to engage in what they are doing, but it might adversely affect or offend another Christian in the body.  They may not even be aware that they are offending the conscience of a fellow believer.  In such cases, it is better for a brother or sister to desist from exercising a particular Christian freedom, in the presence of a fellow believer, if it is causing someone with a weaker faith to stumble or find fault with them.  They certainly would avoid doing something intentionally, if they know it could offend a brother or sister and cause them to stumble.  In such instances, they would not be eating or drinking in faith.  If they are aware that a personal practice or action could be considered unclean, whether to themselves or another believer and they persist, it is a sin for them.

We could once again take as an example drinking alcohol.  There is nothing in scripture that prohibits a Christian from drinking alcoholic beverages responsibly.  If a Christian is aware that their drinking alcohol might stumble a fellow believer, it is better not to drink alcohol in their presence.  If a Christian invites guests over to their home for a gathering and serves alcoholic beverages, it would be ill advisable for the host to invite a new convert, someone who has just recovered from alcoholism or has had issues with drunkenness in their past.  You certainly would not invite them over, and upon greeting them, offer them a drink.  Then again, there might be a fellow believer who is a recovered alcoholic and has made it plain that they have no problem socializing with other believers, who are drinking alcoholic beverages.  They are fine and comfortable with accepting the invitation.  They are in control of their faculties and are not going to impose their own conscience or restrictive regulations, on other believers that are present at the gathering and choose to have a drink.  

The Apostle Paul addresses a similar scenario in the Corinthian church of his day, eating meat that had been previously sacrificed to idols.

1 Corinthians 8:7-13:  “7 However, not all possess this knowledge.  But some, through being hitherto accustomed to idols, eat food as really offered to an idol: and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.  8 Food will not commend us to God.  We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better if we do.  9 Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow becomes a stumbling block to the weak.  10 For if anyone sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idols temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?  11 Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  13 Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling (makes my brother stumble), I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall (make my brother stumble).”

1 Corinthians 10:23-32 states:  “23 All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.  All things are lawful, but not all things build up.  24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.  25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  26 For the earth is the Lord’s, and everything  in it.  27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  28 But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then out of consideration for the man who informed you, and for conscience sake–29 I mean his conscience, not yours—do not eat it.  For why should my liberty be determined by another man’s scruples?  30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?  31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or the church of God,  33 just as I try to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

The above scriptural passages confirm what has already been established.  In the perimeters or privacy of their own personal life, a Christian would have the right or liberty to eat meat purchased at the meat market; meat that had previously been sacrificed to an idol, without raising any questions in regards to their own conscience.  If, while dining, someone were to mention that the meat had previously been used in an idol ceremony, or a new convert with a weaker conscience should see them eating that meat, it would be better for them not to eat meat at all if it might cause a brother or sister to stumble.

In summation of the above, true Christians should not be looking for ways to judge or attack other believers in areas that involve individual conscience and personal choice.  Each believer will render an account and stand or fall before the Lord.  We are not to be judging our brothers or sisters in areas of personal conscience.  People who operate on this level and thrive on this type of behavior are no different than first century scribes and Pharisees, who were constantly looking for ways to accuse and condemn others for not complying to their own legalistic standards.

On the other hand, if we are aware that a particular practice or custom might offend or stumble a brother or sister, someone who has a weaker faith or conscience, it would be better not to engage in that behavior in their presence.  Your liberty or freedom in Christ should not be used as an excuse, to cause another believer to fall or stumble.

Christian Conscience

Instead of being under man-made doctrines and legalism, Christians who are lead by the Holy Spirit use their Christian consciences in deciding between right and wrong.  By having a clean conscience, they maintain a good standing before God and men.

Hebrews 5:14 states:  “But solid food is for the mature (mature people, full grown men, mature Christians), for those whose faculties (perceptive powers, senses), have been trained by practice to distinguish between good (right, morally good) and evil (wrong, contrary to divine or human law).”  (Previously sited)

1 Corinthians 4:4-5  states:   “4 I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account.  It is the Lord Himself who examines and judges me.  5 So do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes again, for He will both bring to light the secret things that are now hidden in darkness and disclose and expose the secret aims (motives and purposes) of hearts.  Then every man will receive his due commendation from God.”  (Amplified Bible)

Acts 23:1 states:  “Brethren, I have lived my life (behaved) with a perfectly good (clear) conscience before God up to this day.”

Romans 9:1 states:  “I am speaking the truth in Christ.  I am not lying; my conscience (enlightened and prompted) by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me.

*Red print is for variations of scriptural passages and/or for clarification.

*The scriptures indicate that early Christians were no longer bound to observe the sabbath, but instead met on the first day of the week or Sunday.  They broke bread, when observing the Lord’s evening meal, and gave contributions to the saints on that day.

Acts 20:7 states:  “On the first day of the week (Sunday), when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and he prolonged his speech until midnight.”

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 states:  “1 Now concerning the contribution to the saints; as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.  2 On the first day of the week (Sunday), each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that contributions need not be made when I come.”

The observance of the weekly sabbath was no longer binding on the early church, nor did anyone have a right to pass judgment on a fellow believer as to whether they observed a sabbath, a festival, or a new moon, in accordance with their own conscience.  The true substance or reality was in Christ.

The Apostle Paul at Colossians 2:16-17 states:  “16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.  17 These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance (reality) belongs to Christ.

The Apostle Paul rebuked the Galatians for being bewitched by false brethren (Judaizers), who had sought to deprive the Galatians of their Christian freedom and compel them to observe days, months, seasons, and years, along with the works of the law.  Those observances would have included the sabbath.  

Galatians 2:4-5 & 15-16 states:  “4 But because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage– 5 to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.  15 We ourselves who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners,  16 yet who know that a man is not justified by works of law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.”

Paul admonished believers at Galatians 4:10-11:  “10 You observe days and months and seasons and years!  11 I am afraid I have labored over you in vain.”  

Readers Digest, After Jesus the Triumph of Christianity states:  Sunday, A Legal Day of Rest: “When Constantine came to power, Christian worship was still rather loosely structured, though there were general guidelines.  About the only thing all churches had held in common since the first century, however, was the Sunday gathering for worship; on that day (called the first day of the week) Christians commemorated the resurrection.” 

Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church states:

“The ten-percent tithe faded away under the New Covenant, as did worship on the Sabbath, Temple rites, and the entire sacrificial system as it existed under the Mosaic Law.”

Justin Martyr addresses the commonality of Sunday worship, writing from Rome (150 CE).  His comments reflect similar customs in other cities, such as Ephesus, where he lived for a while.

“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read…. Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead.”

Justin Martyr was clear that it was the widespread practice for Christians to observe Sunday worship.  Perhaps there were some Gentile Christians who kept the Sabbath…but if so, they found no spokesman, whose writings survive.

Many Christians were already honoring Sunday near the beginning of the second century.  The evidence is very strong that many, if not most Christians, had given up the Sabbath as early as A.D. 130.  Just as Sunday observance came into practice by early in the second century, so among Gentile Christians Sabbath observance went out of practice by early in the second century.

The following quotes are from early Christian church fathers, confirming that they no longer celebrated the sabbath or seventh day (Saturday), but rather met on the first day of the week or the eighth day (Sunday), also referred to as “the Lord’s Day.”

• 90 AD DIDACHE: “Christian Assembly on the Lord’s Day: 1. But every Lord’s day do ye gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.” (Didache: The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Chapter XIV)
• 100 AD BARNABAS “We keep the eighth day [Sunday] with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead” (The Epistle of Barnabas, 100 AD 15:6-8).
• 100 AD BARNABAS: “Moreover God says to the Jews, ‘Your new moons and Sabbaths 1 cannot endure.’ You see how he says, ‘The present Sabbaths are not acceptable to me, but the Sabbath which I have made in which, when I have rested [heaven: Hebrews 4] from all things, I will make the beginning of the eighth day which is the beginning of another world.’ Wherefore we Christians keep the eighth day for joy, on which also Jesus arose from the dead. . .”
• 132-200 AD IRENAEUS:  “He does not wish those who are to be redeemed to be brought again under the Mosaic legislation — for the law has been fulfilled by Christ — but to go free in newness by the Word, through faith and love towards the Son of God…. We have no need of the law as pedagogue…. For no more shall the law say: “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” to him who has not even conceived the desire of another man’s wife; or “thou shalt not kill,” to him who has put away from himself all anger and enmity…. Nor will it demand tithes of him who has vowed to God all his possessions, and who leaves father and mother and all his kindred, and follows the Word of God. Nor will he be commanded to leave idle one day of rest, who is constantly keeping sabbath, that is giving homage to God in the temple of God, which is man’s body, and at all times doing the works of justice.” 
• 150 AD JUSTIN: “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.” (First apology of Justin, Weekly Worship of the Christians, Ch 68)
• 150 AD JUSTIN: “There is no other thing for which you blame us, my friends, is there than this? That we do not live according to the Law, nor, are we circumcised in the flesh as your forefathers, nor do we observe the Sabbath as you do.” (Dialogue with Trypho 10:1. In verse 3 the Jew Trypho acknowledges that Christians ‘do not keep the Sabbath.’)
• 180 AD ACTS OF PETER.- “Paul had often contended with the Jewish teachers and had confuted them, saying ‘it is Christ on whom your fathers laid hands. He abolished their Sabbath and fasts and festivals and circumcision.'” (1: I)-2
• 180 AD GOSPEL OF PETER: “Early in the morning when (the Sabbath dawned, a multitude from Jerusalem and the surrounding country came to see the scaled sepulcher. In the night in which the Lord’s day dawned, while the soldiers in pairs for each watch were keeping guard, a great voice came from heaven. [There follows an account of the resurrection. Early in the morning of the Lord’s day Mary Magdalene, a disciple of the Lord …. came to the sepulcher.” (9:34f.; 12:50f.)
• 190 AD CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: “He does the commandment according to the Gospel and keeps the Lord’s day, whenever he puts away an evil mind . . . glorifying the Lord’s resurrection in himself.” (Ibid. Vii.xii.76.4)
• 200 AD BARDESANES: “Wherever we are, we are all called after the one name of Christ Christians. On one day, the first of the week, we assemble ourselves together.” (On Fate) 
• 200 AD TERTULLIAN: “We solemnize the day after Saturday in contradistinction to those who call this day their Sabbath” (Tertullian’s Apology, Ch 16)
• 200 AD TERTULLIAN: “It follows, accordingly, that, in so far as the abolition of carnal circumcision and of the old law is demonstrated as having been consummated at its specific times, so also the observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary.” (An Answer to the Jews 4:1, Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 3, page 155)
• 200 AD TERTULLIAN: “Others . . . suppose that the sun is the god of the Christians, because it is well-known that we regard Sunday as a day of joy.” (To the Nations 1: 133)
• 200 AD TERTULLIAN: To us Sabbaths are foreign. (On Idolatry, 14:6)4220AD ORIGEN “On Sunday none of the actions of the world should be done. If then, you abstain from all the works of this world and keep yourselves free for spiritual things, go to church, listen to the readings and divine homilies, meditate on heavenly things.” (Homil. 23 in Numeros 4, PG 12:749)200AD
• 220 AD Origen “Hence it is not possible that the [day of] rest after the Sabbath should have come into existence from the seventh [day] of our God. On the contrary, it is our Savior who, after the pattern of his own rest, caused us to be made in the likeness of his death, and hence also of his resurrection” (Commentary on John 2:28).
• 220 AD ORIGEN “On Sunday none of the actions of the world should be done. If then, you abstain from all the works of this world and keep yourselves free for spiritual things, go to church, listen to the readings and divine homilies, meditate on heavenly things.” (Homil. 23 in Numeros 4, PG 12:749)
• 225 AD THE DIDASCALIA “The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation, because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the place of the dead, and on the first day of the week he arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week he ascended up to heaven, and on the first day of the week he will appear at last with the angels of heaven.” (Didascalia 2).
• 250 AD IGNATIUS: “If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death-whom some deny, by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be found the disciples of Jesus Christ, our only Master-how shall we be able to live apart from Him, whose disciples the prophets themselves in the Spirit did wait for Him as their Teacher? And therefore He whom they rightly waited for, being come, raised them from the dead. If, then, those who were conversant with the ancient Scriptures came to newness of hope, expecting the coming of Christ, as the Lord teaches us when He says, “If ye had believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me; ” and again, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad; for before Abraham was, I am; ” how shall we be able to live without Him? The prophets were His servants, and foresaw Him by the Spirit, and waited for Him as their Teacher, and expected Him as their Lord and Savior, saying, “He will come and save us.” Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness; for “he that does not work, let him not eat.” For say the [holy] oracles, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread.” But let every one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and plaudits which have no sense in them. And after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord’s Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days [of the week]. Looking forward to this, the prophet declared, “To the end, for the eighth day,” on which our life both sprang up again, and the victory over death was obtained in Christ, whom the children of perdition, the enemies of the Savior, deny, “whose god is their belly, who mind earthly things,” who are “lovers of pleasure, and not lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” These make merchandise of Christ, corrupting His word, and giving up Jesus to sale: they are corrupters of women, and covetous of other men’s possessions, swallowing up wealth insatiably; from whom may ye be delivered by the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ! (Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians, Chapter IX)
• 250 AD IGNATIUS: “On the day of the preparation, then, at the third hour, He received the sentence from Pilate, the Father permitting that to happen; at the sixth hour He was crucified; at the ninth hour He gave up the ghost; and before sunset He was buried. During the Sabbath He continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathea had laid Him. At the dawning of the Lord’s day He arose from the dead, according to what was spoken by Himself, “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man also be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The day of the preparation, then, comprises the passion; the Sabbath embraces the burial; the Lord’s Day contains the resurrection.” (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, chapter 9)
• 250 AD CYPRIAN: “The eight day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath, and the Lord’s Day.” (Epistle 58, Sec 4)250AD CYPRIAN:
• 300 AD VICTORINUS “The sixth day [Friday] is called parasceve, that is to say, the preparation of the kingdom. . . . On this day also, on account of the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, we make either a station to God or a fast. On the seventh day he rested from all his works, and blessed it, and sanctified it. On the former day we are accustomed to fast rigorously, that on the Lord’s day we may go forth to our bread with giving of thanks. And let the parasceve become a rigorous fast, lest we should appear to observe any Sabbath with the Jews . . . which Sabbath he [Christ] in his body abolished.” (The Creation of the World).
• 300 AD EUSEBIUS: “They did not, therefore, regard circumcision, nor observe the Sabbath neither do we; … because such things as these do not belong to Christians.” (Ecc. Hist., Book 1, Ch. 4)
• The above historic evidence overwhelmingly and convincingly substantiates that Constantine was not responsible for the removal of the observance of the sabbath (the seventh day, Saturday) from the early Christian church, and replacing it with Sunday ( the first day of the week) as their day of worship.  The above quotes and scriptural references bear witness to the fact, that the early church had already discontinued the weekly observance of the sabbath, several hundred years prior to Constantine coming into power, and had instead chosen to meet on the first day of the week, Sunday, for their day of worship.                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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