The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum The Sabbath

The quote you provided that is allegedly Calvin's (I haven't tried to look it up as there was no source reference, e.g., Commentary on Colossians, Institutes, etc.), is dealing with Col 2:16f which I have dealt with elsewhere in a similar discussion on the Sabbath. So, I'm not going to iterate all that I wrote but simply point out that in the quote, Calvin rightly translates or his version of the Bible rightly renders it as "or of the sabbath days;" - Notice the plural days. Paul is speaking of the "Festivals" of OT Israel and special days which were called "sabbaths", (cf. 1Chron 23:31; 2Chron 2:4; 8:13, 31:3; Neh 10:33, etc.) This same rebuke and rejection of the continual observance of such days is also found in Gal 4:10. Again, there are CLEAR statements in the writings of John Calvin which show he held to the 'traditional' Sabbatarian view as expressed in the WCF and other confessions and catechisms of that era. So, that being the case, the CLEAR statements must take precedence over those statements which are less than clear or in this case, over the imposed views of the reader upon Calvin in the attempt to make Calvin appear to agree with that presupposition; in this case, an anti-Sabbatarian view.

Of course, I have no idea what theological camp these people are joined with on this board you are visiting. But if they are "Reformed Baptists", then the OFFICIAL statement of the Calvinistic Baptists is recognized as being The London Confession of Baptist Faith, which in Chapter XX, Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day says:

However, there are some "Reformed Baptists" who follow John Bunyan in regard to the Sabbath and thus reject its perpetuity and observance. But historically, as one reads through the various confessions and catechisms of the denominations which came out of the Reformation, they are unanimous in what they believe concerning the Sabbath; the Fourth Commandment is a perpetual moral law which is forever binding upon the conscience of ALL men whereupon they are to work six days and then rest from their labors on the seventh day in order to devote themselves to the worship and service of God. The "day" was not specified in the actual Fourth Commandment and therefore the designation of Saturday to Israel was specific to that theocratic nation but was changed to Sunday, the first day of week, for the Church because of the fulfillment of all that the OT Sabbath foreshadowed. Thus He, Christ being raised on the first day of the week, the infant Church worshiped on that day and thus it is now designated as "The Lord's Day", etc., etc......