Objection:
“I have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that I do not have to keep the Sabbath.”
Answer:
The question is not whether a person claims to have the Spirit. The question is whether that spirit agrees with the Word of God.
The Bible does teach that the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer, guides the believer, and teaches the believer. Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13. But the same Bible also warns us that not every spirit is the Spirit of God. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” 1 John 4:1.
That point is important. The Bible does not tell us to test the word of God by what a spirit says. It tells us to test the spirit by what God has said. If we do not have a fixed standard outside of our feelings, impressions, and experiences, then we have no safe way of knowing what spirit is leading us.
God has given us the test plainly: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. That means any spirit that speaks contrary to God’s law and God’s testimony is not a spirit of light. It does not matter how powerful the experience may feel. It does not matter how sincere the person may be. If the spirit contradicts the Word, the spirit is not from God.
Now apply that test to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not a human tradition. It is part of God’s law. It stands in the very heart of the Ten Commandments: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8. God did not merely suggest the Sabbath. He commanded it. He also told us why: “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.” Exodus 20:11.
So when a spirit tells a person, “You do not have to keep the Sabbath,” that spirit is speaking against the commandment of God. It is not leading a person into obedience. It is leading a person away from obedience. And according to Isaiah 8:20, a spirit that does not speak according to the law and the testimony has “no light” in it.
The book of Revelation gives the final description of God’s faithful people in these words: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. It does not say, “Here are they that keep nine of the commandments.” It does not say, “Here are they that keep the commandments except the fourth.” It says they “keep the commandments of God.”
To say that the Sabbath commandment no longer matters is to alter the Bible’s own description of God’s last-day people. But Revelation closes with a solemn warning against adding to or taking away from the words of God’s prophecy. Revelation 22:18-19. A spirit that removes the fourth commandment from the obedience of God’s people is not honoring the Word. It is changing the Word.
The true Holy Spirit does not lead men to disregard God’s commandments. Jesus said the Spirit of truth “shall not speak of himself,” but “whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.” John 16:13. In other words, the Spirit does not bring a message independent of heaven. He speaks in harmony with the will, word, and government of God.
And heaven is not opposed to God’s law. The only one who ever made war against God’s government in heaven was Satan, and he was cast out. Revelation 12:7-9. Therefore, any spirit that leads people to transgress God’s commandments is working with the enemy of righteousness.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin. Jesus said, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin.” John 16:8. But what is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. So the Holy Spirit reproves sin; He does not excuse it. He convicts men when they break God’s law; He does not tell them they are free to break one of God’s commandments.
That means the Sabbath is not the thing on trial. The Sabbath has its authority from God. It was made at creation. Genesis 2:2-3. It was placed in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8-11. It was kept by Christ. Luke 4:16. It was made for man. Mark 2:27. It will be honored in the new earth. Isaiah 66:22-23.
So when a spirit says the Sabbath does not need to be kept, the safe conclusion is not that we should be free from the Sabbath. The safe conclusion is that we need to be free from that spirit.
The Sabbath has stood the test of the ages. Its credentials are signed by God Himself.
Try the spirits. Not the Sabbath.
