How serious is the Lord about this day? Very serious, indeed. We do not impose the death penalty on those who do not remember and guard the Lord’s Day, but they were so commanded in ancient Israel, before the day of grace and the Spirit. “Cutting off” Sabbath-breakers is a euphemism for killing them; it can also mean separation from the altar – and, hence, the favor of God – for a season.

The Lord has determined that honoring His day shall continue through all the generations of His people. Those who will not remember and guard the Lord’s Day show that they despise His Word and consider themselves better qualified to determine how Sundays should be used than the God Who made and redeemed them. If we will set aside God’s Law for this one day, will it not be easy to set it aside whenever, for any reason, we think we know better than God how we ought to live?

Failing to honor the Lord’s Day makes one liable for church discipline. That is, if his church practices discipline. If we will not discipline those who violate the Lord’s Day – first, with an admonition, then, that failing, suspension from the sacrament, and, finally, excommunication – we will have no grounds to discipline anyone for any offense.

God’s love is waiting to renew us each Lord’s Day. When we despise His day and use it for our purposes, we hurt ourselves, as well as any others who, following our example, may cut themselves off from God’s love by failing to remember and guard His day.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.