JOHN R. RICE QUOTES OF THE WEEK

The fact that God put restrictions on what they were doing at Corinth shows us that what they were doing was wrong. When God rebukes what they were doing, it shows it is not miraculous, not God-given. God never gave a miracle and then rebuked somebody for the way he used it. God never gives somebody a miraculous gift and then be angry with the way they use it. No, miraculous gifts don't need rebuking, don't need a restraint put on them; but they did in the use of natural languages over in Corinth. - John R. Rice

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17
Let no man judge you concerning the Sabbath days! That was a shadow which was all right until the coming of Christ, but now He is come and the shadow is fulfilled! Therefore no Seventh Day Adventist nor Jew has the right to pass judgment on any Christian concerning the Sabbath day. The command about the Sabbath day was nailed to the cross [v. 14] with the commands about certain meats and with other ceremonial laws. God does not want Christians to observe the Jewish Sabbath and plainly says so. - John R. Rice

Some people object and say that if you worship on Sunday, you keep a day dedicated to the sun since Sunday was named for the sun. Well, Saturday is named for Saturn! All the days are God's days, and all should be used for Him no matter how they were named. The days of the week do not have now the same names as they had in Bible times, but we do have the same days whether we call one Sunday or the first day of the week, or another Saturday or the seventh day of the week. New Testament Christians met on the first day of the week before it was called Sunday. Jews kept Saturday as a day of rest before it was called Saturday. But what has that to do with us? We settle this by God's Word, not by history. - John R. Rice

Six in the Bible is man's number, and seven is the divine or complete number. Six days of labor followed by the Sabbath of rest pictures man living a perfect life under the law and earning the rest, perfection and salvation pictured by the seventh day. Of course man failed under the law, and no one was ever able to keep it (Acts 15:10, Rom. 3:20, Gal. 3:11). But the New Testament Christian, worshipping God on the first day of the week, means that he already has salvation as a free gift before he did any work, and now being saved, the Christian works the rest of his life to glorify the Saviour he loves. Read Hebrews 4:9, 10. - John R. Rice

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:13-17
That Scripture is talking about the Jewish ceremonial law which was fulfilled and done away with when Jesus died. Gentiles were in "uncircumcision," says the Scripture; the "handwriting of ordinances" of the Jews was against Gentiles and contrary to them. But this "handwriting of ordinances" which was against uncircumcised people, Christ took "out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Certainly that refers to the ceremonial law. Was the moral law done away with when Jesus died? Are men now free from obligation about the commands "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," "Thou shalt not steal"? You know that we are not free from obligation to do right about such matters. The moral law was not erased, not rescinded when Jesus died. It was not nailed to the cross, crucified, killed. That was the ceremonial law which lost its force when Jesus died because it was already fulfilled.
So verse 16 above plainly says Christians are not to be judged concerning these ceremonial laws. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days." - John R. Rice

One statement of faith says, "We believe in the perseverance of the saints." I do not! I am not trust in my perseverance. Rather I believe in the preservation of the saints. Psalm 37:28 says, "For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever." Peter did not persevere very well, but he was preserved. And you, poor backslider, are preserved and kept. God has not forsaken you. He loves you yet. Oh, I beg you, come back to the cross and face the dying, risen, living Saviour and confess to Him your backsliding and He will forgive it all. - John R. Rice