Posted on 04/08/2006 7:12:48 AM PDT by DouglasKC
No, Easter is a fraudulent 1 1/2 day "Pagan" affair which has no resemblance to anything scriptural!
I'll quote the bible so it'll get through:
Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
When are you observe Easter, and when does Jesus Christ want us to observe HIS passover?
Define love.
First of all there were no "gentile Christians". There is no such thing. There are Christians, period. And they were encouraged:
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Though these are full of doctrine, encouragement, and command as to the specifics of christian living, ... the keeping of special days is almost never mentioned, ... and then not positively (i.e. as regards specific days to be kept).
Because it was obvious, scriptural and commonplace. When everyone is already doing something and has been for thousands of years there's not much reason for instruction. And if you want to make that argument, there's NO instruction or mention of Easter ever.
Paul says that the christian's focus is to be love.
Again, define love.
"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
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. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ."
(Col. 2:15-17)
I for one will take the word of the Apostle Paul over your own authority any time. It's God's word on it too.
I cannot believe you folks continue to use, as proof of your position, the very scripture that shows your error.
Paul is speaking to newly converted, previously pagan Greeks. Why in the world would he bother to mention something that they had no knowledge of? He is instructing them in the observance of New moon Festivals, Sabbaths etc.
Look at the previous statement in verse 8. Would you say the observance of these things are a tradition of men?
If you think that Paul is saying that the holy days God commanded to be observed in scripture are no longer to be observed than you must believe Paul is a liar or an idiot.
You must believe that because Paul says that he is talking about these kinds of practices in Colossians 2:
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
The Lord's feast days are NOT philosophy or vain deceit. They are not traditions of men. They are not rudiments of the world. They are divine commandments from the living God.
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
The Lord's feast days are NOT commandments and doctrines of men, but ARE commandments and doctrines of God.
So you MUST believe that Paul was so idiotic as to believe that scriptural holy days were NOT scriptural...OR that he was lying to the Colossians and telling them that the holy days created by God were actually created by men.
Choose your poison or study God's word further to see where you have erred.
Things not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament:
Women being baptized
Women taking communion
condemnation of child abuse
Jesus condemning homosexuality
Anyone but Paul commenting on homosexuality
beastiality and other sexual perversions
The word "trinity"
full immersion baptism (possibly referenced by "coming out of the water" phrase, but not air-tight...)
Sprinkling baptism
Pouring baptism
command to honor the sabbath
The Apostles Creed
The Nicene Creed
etc. etc. etc....
YET throughout the history of the Church the Holy Spirit has guided his people through the witness of the Old Testament (regarding moral issues) and the New Testament both, applied by spiritual common sense.
For example, some will argue that since Jesus never explicitly condemned homosexual practice it must be just fine.... But of course he never explicitly condemned child abuse, incest or beastiality either.... though the Old Testament law surely does, and He clearly said He established that OT law. So OF COURSE Jesus condemned homosexual practice.
The celebration of the Resurrection goes back to the practice from the first Century of the Sunday Sabbath...so not only celebrated once a year, BUT EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Is it explicitly commanded in the New Testament? No. But is it condemned--absolutely not.
God did give His people minds though, and we do know a Sunday Sabbath tradition is VERY (very) early--with evidence from the New Testament itself it was practiced. Dumping on Easter is ungodly and unloving--of our Savior especially.
A lot of our words have pagan roots. Do you not use the word "Thursday" (Thor's day...) or Saturday (Saturn's day)? Does ANYONE other than total screw-balls give any attention to the pagan "gods" those were named for? Of course not.
Your argements are for the small minded.
Why was Sunday selected as the "special" day?
Paul in Colosians and other letters was fighting the judiazers--men who sought to apply the most central Jewish ceremonial law--that which predates all the feasts you mention, going back to Abraham himself--onto the backs of gentile believers.
His arguments were SPECIFICALLY about Jewish ceremonial questions, like feast days, new moons and special Sabbaths...
This verse is DEFINITELY about exactly what you are talking aobut, and refutes you fully--and I think you know that--intellectuallizing to the contrary.
The Acts 15 Council of Jerusalem makes plain (explicitely repeated no less than 3 times in Acts) what the formerly pagan gentile believers were responsible to follow. Avoiding meat sacrificed to idols, eating blood, and sexual immorality. No mention of following Jewish feasts, sorry.
Because Christians value the resurrection of Christ more than anything. The cross and the resurrection are united. One cannot dishonor one without dishonoring the other.
Douglas.....can you find the word "Judaizer" in your Bible?
What does this have to do with Sunday?
No. I have 34 translations in my computer bible. Not one of them has that word.
Actually almost none of the words you find in your bible were in the original bible, because...surprise!...you are using a translation. As a translation--the exact words of Greek and Hebrew cannot be directly translated into English.
Scholars from the very earliest centuries have used one-word technical phrases to describe biblical concepts which might take several words. "Judiazer" and "Trinity" are two of those words.
But you knew that I know, you're just trying to cloud the issue.
If as I suspect, you do not accept God as three persons, one in essence, the Trinity, our discussions are over, as I will discuss issues like this only with professing Christians.
I just showed you scripture where Paul said specifically that he was referring to "commandments and doctrines of men", and "rudiments of the world". You have a flawed understanding of Colossians 2. It's not your fault. In man's eagerness to disobey God he wrests and twists scripture to make it fit tradition:
2Pe 3:15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
2Pe 3:16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Paul's letters, as Peter says, are NOT easy to understand. The untaught and unstable distort scripture to make it fit their desires and traditions.
You must belong to that "Make it up as you go along church", Huh?
If as I suspect, you do not accept God as three persons, one in essence, the Trinity, our discussions are over, as I will discuss issues like this only with professing Christians.
You could learn from this. I am so glad Our Saviour did not have your attitude.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.