Replies

Most of your points I can't find fault with, however I wonder what it matters, if God, knowing the hearts of man, knows why I celebrate the Resurrection of Christ (or for that matter his birth, too). While I detest the term "Easter" because of the pagan origins of the word, that doesn't detract from the spiritual significance of recognizing the resurrection of Christ.

My understanding is that God created certain days for us to celebrate and honor him. These days are outlined in Leviticus chapter 23. God, being perfect, also knew that these days would apply when, and after, his first born son was sacrificed on the cross for us. These days are markers and outline God's salvation. That's why Christ celebrated Passover and all the other festivals ordained.

For example, Passover in the OT clearly pointed to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross "our passover". However, Christ changed the symbols and said we were to celebrate it as a remembrance of him (Luke 22:19, 1 Cor 11:26)

The Days of Unleavened Bread represent new Christians, those who have accepted Christ, as coming out of sin, spiritual Egypt. Leaven is a symbol of sin and removing leaven teaches us that we are to leave sin behind.

Pentecost represents the formation of the new testament church.

These harvest festivals took place in the spring. We are now in the long summer in God's prophetic calendar. The fall festivals start with the Feast of Trumpets, which symbolizes the return of Christ, at the "last trump" (1 Cor 15:52). The day of atonement pictures the putting away of Satan and the feast of tabernacles pictures the millenium reign of Jesus Christ.

I've greatly simplified these, but this is the gist. God doesn't create in vain and he didn't create holy days only to have man ignore them.

interesting points. But I can't help asking myself the question, "is DKC's argument right or wrong, or irrelevant?"

In my understanding of the NT I feel that your position is irrelevant (not to demean you or your position).

You posit that "God doesn't create in vain and he didn't create holy days only to have man ignore them." Yet Jesus himself (God incarnate) said in Mark 2:27 "Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." holy days exist not to lock man down into a formula, but to connect man relationally with God... to fellowship with him.

When I read the entirety of Romans 2, what I come away from it with is an appreciation for the propitiation of Christ's sacrifice and the fact that accepting his sacrifice sets us free from the law of sin and death. The laws of the OT exist to point the way to the Cross, to show us each the need for Christ, because we are unable to uphold every item of the law, and as James said (2:10), that anyone who fails to keep even one point of the law has failed to keep all of the law.

Lastly, if we accept that God's law (which we know to primarily be the law of Love, as seen in I Cor 13) is written on our hearts, then Romans 2:29 rings loudly in our ears, that true circumcision (adherence to God's law, as I understand it) is circumcision of the heart by the spirit, not by a written code.

So, if we commemorate the resurrection of our Lord annually on Easter Sunday (despite the English usage of a pagan holiday to describe that date) and celebrate in our hearts the resurrection of our Lord each day through the testimony of our lives, then there can be no doubt in my mind that the law of the Lord has been written on our hearts more indelibly and deeply than any etchings on stone tablets.

God doesn't create in vain and he didn't create holy days only to have man ignore them.

So why weren't the NT Gentile christians commanded ... or even encouraged ... to keep these days ?

There is easily a much stronger argument from the New Testament ... that it doesn't matter what special days one keeps ... than that it does.

There are twenty-one books of christian instruction from the Apostles in the New Testament. 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).

My take on New Testament teaching is that it majors on the maturing and conditioning of the heart, ... rather than the keeping of any external practices.

Paul says that the christian's focus is to be love.

If one lives within the context of abiding in ... and the sharing of ... God's love, ... then one will be sure to be carryng out the will of God for one's life.

Keeping the Law is Old Testament stuff ... it only served to bring us to the knowledge that we need the Saviour.

Once we have come to the Saviour and have made our peace with God, ... we are free to live our christian lives as we are led by His Spirit, ... and according to the higher principle ... of God's love.