In an attempt to justify the practice of seeking out unbelievers to prepare their Sabbath meals, a prominent COG group claims that there is no moral distinction between going to a restaurant on the seventh day and shopping at a supermarket on Tuesday. They offer this argument based on the belief that groceries purchased during the week may have required Sabbath labor just like that performed at a restaurant on the seventh day. Here is how they advance this “Biblical insight” in a letter written to one of the authors of A Sabbath Test.  

We do not consider eating out on the Sabbath as paying for ‘the fruit of their sacrilege.’ Much of the food sold in grocery stores may have been harvested or packaged on the Sabbath. By your definition, these products would also be "the fruit of their sacrilege.

Totally Missing the Point

     In this brief statement, these COG leaders argue that there is no difference between going to a market on Monday and purchasing food that "may have been" the product of Sabbath labor, and them going out to a restaurant on the Sabbath where it is absolutely essential that profane labor be done. In other words, in order for them to dine out on the Sabbath, they absolutely require someone to break God's law. On the other hand, God’s people who shop during the week don't require any such thing. Furthermore, there is no Biblical prohibition against purchasing products that may have come into contact with Sabbath labor, provided the labor wasn't done at your request. When it comes to dining out on the Sabbath these COG leaders are placing an order they expect to be filled by working on holy time.

     To illustrate how disingenuous this COG argument is consider the following. Suppose that these COG leaders go to a market on Monday and see two produce areas. One has a sign that reads “This produce is the product of Sabbath labor.” The other area has a sign that reads “This produce required no Sabbath labor.” Which one would these COG leaders select?

     Now let’s suppose that these men want to dine out on the Sabbath and see two restaurants. On the door of one is a sign that reads “Closed for the Sabbath.” The door on the other eatery reads: “We Don’t Keep the Sabbath.” Which of these restaurants is the one these men are seeking?

    While these men argue that there is no moral distinction between these two behaviors, this is simply not true. Once again their goal is not to seriously explore what pleases the Lord of the Sabbath, it is to justify their SIN--and to do so they must misrepresent the truth with respect to these two behaviors.

Excuse #23

Jesus Dined Out

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