CEM’s Ron Dart “In Defense of the Holydays”

In his commentary last week, CEM’s Ron Dart wrote:

To those of us who have been keeping the holydays for years – in some cases, for all of our lives – the practice seems so natural, so right. The Scriptures supporting the practice seem so obvious. Why, we wonder, doesn’t everyone observe the holydays?
     Of course, the most obvious reason is that most Christians know little or nothing about the holydays, and the Old Testament is uncharted territory. For those who have more familiarity, the practice of religion in the Old Testament is viewed as essentially Jewish and irrelevant to the Christian.     There are Christians, however, who have studied the holydays carefully, and have arrived at a conscious decision not to observe them. Why? What is the rational, philosophic, theological or scriptural basis for this decision?
     There are two broad categories of people who believe it is not necessary to keep the holydays: those who keep the Sabbath, and those who do not. Among those who do not keep the Sabbath, there are various other categories. There are some who believe that all the Old Testament was abolished and is irrelevant to Christians. There are others who believe the ceremonial law was abolished but the moral law was retained. Some believe none of the law was abolished, but it is the right of the church to interpret the law and even change the law if necessary.
     This latter group recognizes that the early church kept the Sabbath, and even the holydays, but they chronicle the change that took place in the church from Sabbath to Sunday and from the holydays to Easter and Christmas and conclude that the church had the right to make those changes.
     The arguments on this subject fall into certain identifiable patterns, and it is quite instructive to examine them.

Actually, the basics of the arguments against the Holy Days are the fact that many are so comfortable with traditions of men that they ignore the commandments of God.

Jesus had that same problem with the religious of His day (please see the article The Bible and Tradition).

In 2008, the biblical holy days begin in April.

Several articles of related interest may include:

Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days .
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins?
Melito’s Homily on the Passover This is one of the earliest Christian writings about the Passover. This also includes what Apollinaris wrote on the Passover as well.
Should Christians Keep the Days of Unleavened Bread? Do they have any use or meaning now? This article supplies some biblical answers.
Pentecost: Is it more than Acts 2? Many “Christians” somewhat observe Pentecost. Do they know what it means? It is also called the Feast of Harvest, the Feast of Weeks, and the day of firstfruits.
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? Did they? Did Jesus? Should you?
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not?
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement”. Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians?
LCG 2007 Feast of Tabernacles’ Information Here is information on many Feast of Tabernacles locations for last year.
Last Great Day study paper Was Jesus speaking about the 7th or 8th day of the Feast in John 7:37? UCG says the 7th, but what does the Bible teach? This extensive paper reviews UCG’s LGD study paper and includes comments as to where it erred.
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2012, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂