Sabbath At The Cross Roads | Gehrad Erbes

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Study Guide: The Sabbath at the Crossroads of Authority

Who Has the Final Word?

Based on the presentation “Sabbath at the Crossroads of Authority”

Opening Reflection

Before you begin, consider these questions:

  1. Do you feel that world events are accelerating at a speed you’ve never experienced in your lifetime?

  2. What does it mean to be both “well informed” and “well prepared in heart” for the times ahead?

  3. When you face difficult decisions about faith and practice, who or what ultimately has the final word in your life?

Section 1: The Central Question

“As things go towards the end of history, authority will be one of the big issues. Who really has the final word?”

Key Scripture for this section: Isaiah 8:20

Discussion Questions:

  1. Most Christians would say God has the final word. But in practical, everyday decisions, what authorities do people actually listen to?

  2. What happens when different authorities give different answers? How do you choose?

Section 2: Three Sources of Authority

The presentation identifies three categories of authority:

Scripture External Authorities The “Mixed” Position
God’s Word as ultimate guide Government, church tradition, science, culture Syncretism – blending biblical ideas with outside influences

Activity: In the spaces below, list examples of each type of authority you encounter in your daily life:

Scripture External Authorities Mixed/Syncretism
1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which authority exerts more pressure in society today – Scripture or external authorities?

  2. Have you noticed Christians “drifting” from Scripture toward external authorities? In what ways?

Section 3: Three Themes from Genesis Under Attack

The presentation highlights three core truths from Genesis 1-2 that are all under pressure:

Theme Scripture Says External Says Mixed Position Says
Origins Seven-day creation Evolution / naturalism Theistic evolution
Gender Male and female LGBTQ+ ideology “Christian LGBTQ”
Sacred Day Seventh-day Sabbath Sunday (Catholic Church) Sunday (Protestant/Evangelical)

“My impression is that the themes that come out of Genesis, the first two chapters, will also be the themes in the final showdown at the end of history. Satan is attacking those three core truths… because attacking each one of these will take down faith, will make people lose sight of God, and then make wrong decisions and be lost.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think Satan focuses his attacks on these three specific truths from Genesis?

  2. How have you seen the “mixed” positions (theistic evolution, Christian LGBTQ, Protestant Sunday) affect the faith of believers you know?

  3. Which of these three themes do you see causing the most confusion among Christians today? Why?

Section 4: Deep Dive – The Sacred Day

The remainder of the presentation focuses on the Sabbath/Sunday question. Three views are examined in detail:

View 1: The Scriptural Seventh-day Sabbath

Perspective Biblical Teaching
Origin Creation-rooted – given before sin (Genesis 2:2-3)
Authority God Himself commanded it (Exodus 16:23)
Place in Law Embedded in the Ten Commandments, written by God’s finger on stone (Exodus 20)
Duration Forever – celebrated in the new earth (Isaiah 66:22-23; Matthew 5)
Significance A sign of the covenant between God and His people (Exodus 31) – a deep relationship, not just a checklist

Key Scriptures to Look Up:

  • Genesis 2:2-3

  • Exodus 16:23

  • Exodus 20:8-11

  • Exodus 31:13-17

  • Isaiah 66:22-23

  • Matthew 5:17-18

Reflection Question: The speaker says the Sabbath is “about living a life together with Jesus” and warns against it becoming “mechanical” or a “checklist.” How can you move from just observing the Sabbath to truly experiencing it as a relationship with God?

View 2: The Catholic Sunday

Perspective Catholic Teaching
Origin Originated within the church among believers in the 2nd-4th centuries AD
Authority Church authority – tradition is equal to Scripture (Catechism, p. 97)
Observance A grave sin to miss Mass on Sunday – a church obligation (Catechism 1247, 2180)
Continuity Sunday has taken over the place of the Sabbath – a “wholesale shift”
Significance The “eighth day” theology – a new creation beyond the seven-day week (Dies Domini, 1998)

Key Catholic Sources Mentioned:

  • Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), paragraphs 1247, 2180

  • Pope John Paul II, Dies Domini (1998)

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does the Catholic view of tradition (equal to Scripture) differ from the Protestant principle of sola scriptura?

  2. What is the “eighth day” theology, and how does it differ from the biblical view of the seventh-day Sabbath?

View 3: The Protestant/Evangelical “Mixed” Sunday

Perspective Protestant/Evangelical Teaching
Origin Early practice – church fathers gathering on Sundays (drifted into it, not a formal decision)
Authority Both Bible and tradition – an unstable mix
Observance The “Sabbath principle” – the idea of resting once a week, not tied to a specific day
Continuity Recasting or reinterpretation – no shift from Saturday; Sunday could be any day
Significance The resurrection – celebrating Jesus rising from the dead on Sunday

“Sabbath principle means it’s just the idea of resting but not connected to a specific day. You can rest once a week. If it’s Monday for you, that’s fine. If it’s Thursday for you, that’s fine.”

Critical Distinction: When evangelicals talk about “Sabbath,” they often mean something very different from what Scripture teaches. They mean a principle of rest, not a specific day.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever heard someone use “Sabbath language” but mean something different? How can you tell the difference?

  2. Why is the “Sabbath principle” an inadequate substitute for the biblical seventh-day Sabbath?

Section 5: The Fatal Flaw – Why the Mixed Position Collapses

“You cannot be sola scriptura, claim the Bible as authority, and at the same time be honoring Sunday.”

The presentation argues that the Protestant/Evangelical mixed position is internally unstable and logically inconsistent:

Claim Contradiction
Sola scriptura (Scripture alone) Sunday worship is not found anywhere in Scripture
Bible is the only authority Tradition is used to justify Sunday

Two Historical Challenges from the Catholic Church:

Challenge #1 (1530) – Johann Eck to Luther

In his book Enchiridion, Eck wrote:

“The Scripture teaches, ‘Remember that you keep the Saturday…’ However, the church has transferred the observance from Saturday to Sunday by virtue of her own power, without Scripture… If you omit the latter and turn from the church to the Scriptures alone, you must keep the Sabbath with the Jews, which has been kept from the beginning of the world.”

Question: How did Luther’s position (sola scriptura + Sunday) create a vulnerability that the Catholic Church could exploit?

Challenge #2 (1893) – The Chicago World’s Fair

Protestants petitioned Congress to close the World’s Fair on Sundays. The Catholic Church responded with articles in the Catholic Mirror, later compiled into a pamphlet. The final paragraph of the fifth article stated:

“The arguments contained in this pamphlet are firmly grounded on the word of God… and leave no escape for the conscientious Protestant except the abandonment of Sunday worship and the return to Saturday commanded by their teacher, the Bible… Compromise is impossible.”

Question: Why did the Catholic Church see Protestant Sunday-keeping as “self-contradictory and suicidal”?

Section 6: The Only Two Options

After removing the unstable mixed position, only two remain:

Option 1 Option 2
Scripture + Seventh-day Sabbath Church authority + Sunday

“Either Protestantism and keeping whole of Saturday, or Catholicity and keeping of Sunday. Compromise is impossible.”

Isaiah 8:20 provides the final test:

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Question: When measured by Isaiah 8:20, which option remains standing? Why?

Section 7: Conclusion – The Sabbath That Stands Forever

“If we want to honor the creator, our savior, to be in a permanent relationship with him into eternity, Sabbath is the sign. Here is the blessing. Here is the power. Here’s the connection to the creator. Here’s the connection to our savior. This is the only one that can stand into eternity.”

Final Reflection Questions:

  1. After studying these three views, why is the seventh-day Sabbath more than just “a day off”? What does it represent?

  2. The speaker emphasizes that the Sabbath is “about the relationship between us and God.” How can you deepen your Sabbath experience as a relationship rather than a ritual?

  3. How can you lovingly and effectively engage with Sunday-keeping Christians (Catholic or Protestant) without being defensive or confrontational?

  4. What is one thing you learned from this study that you can share with someone else this week?

Personal Application

This week, I will:

A prayer for the week ahead:

Father in heaven, we see that the showdown in this country about what day to honor is ever increasing. Give us wisdom, discernment, and enlightenment so that we can be witnesses and light to those around us. Help us to share the good news of the Sabbath – the true blessing found only in the day You established at the beginning of history. May we grow in our ability to share this truth with love and clarity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Key Scriptures to Memorize

  • Genesis 2:2-3 – The origin of the Sabbath

  • Exodus 20:8-11 – The Sabbath in the Ten Commandments

  • Exodus 31:13-17 – The Sabbath as a sign of the covenant

  • Isaiah 66:22-23 – The Sabbath in the new earth

  • Isaiah 8:20 – The test of authority

For Further Study

  • Dr. Bakayoki’s books on the Sabbath (mentioned in the presentation)

  • Dies Domini (The Lord’s Day) – Pope John Paul II, 1998 (for understanding Catholic Sunday theology)

  • The Catholic Mirror articles from 1893 (historical Catholic challenge to Protestant Sunday-keeping)

“May we always be faithful to God our Creator and to the blessed Sabbath day. And may we be empowered to engage all the other views in a way to win them for Christ and for eternity as well. Amen.”