Topical Discussion Question #3

Should we continue to keep the Sabbath today? If not, why not? If so, how should we observe it? Give biblical arguments.

Yes, I believe that we should continue to keep the Sabbath today as it is a regular day of rest and worship which God has provided for man to keep.  He has blessed it and made it holy in creation (Gen 2:2), he has given it to his covenant people through the mosaic law (Ex 20:8-11), and it shall continue until our final day of redemption.  The redemptive promise is something that we look back on with thankfulness (Deut 5:15), and look forward to in anticipation (Eph 1:14).

At creation, God entered into a Sabbath rest that has been held out for his people as a promised rest in consummation.  The atonement provided to God's covenant people through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ was our down payment on that rest secured for us, and Holy Spirit is a guarantee of the fulfillment of that promise offering us a taste of that rest daily.  Specifically, as the Lord has blessed and made holy one day in seven for us to keep the Sabbath, there is a real spiritual significance to that day.

In light of the New Testament, we now keep that day as the first day of the week in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.  It is a day "to celebrate the consummation of redemption in advance", as the Psalmist anticipates with us the feast to come in glory (Ps 23:5-6).  As such, not only should the Sabbath be a time of worship and rest, but also a time of great delight and joy as we celebrate the feast.   We are living in an already  consummated year of jubilee where we should be proclaiming liberty to the world (Lev 25:10), and living in the delight of our Lord and Savior, awaiting the fullness of the coming of his kingdom.  His kingdom work will continue, through worship, rest, celebration, works of necessity and mercy until the end of days has reached its finality in the eschatological return of the King.

Topical Discussion Question #4

Is it right to use embryonic stem cells for research? If not, why not? If so, are there any limitations on how we should do this? Refer to biblical principles.

If embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of an embryo, then this type of research should not be done unless the embryo is already dead.  As we can see the importance of life in Scripture, and specifically the lives of the weak and helpless, of which unborn children would be, it is right to protect their lives.  While Scripture itself is not written for the purposes of scientific research, it is evident that embryos have their own distinct chromosomal make-up which is in line with Psalm 139 as David proclaims his intimacy with God by being formed in his mother's womb.  As people are formed at conception, then only when they are no longer living should their bodies (embryos) be made available for research.

The slippery slope argument would suggest then that if embryonic stem cell research is allowed, then it would encourage the killing of embryos for this purpose.  This is a fair point, and one that should be taken into consideration by a society seeking to constrain the harm that is done both intentionally and unintentionally to its citizens.  However, there are many natural reasons why pregnancies end which do no harm to the life of either the mother or child, and if those embryos are viable candidates for stem cell research, then those parents should be given the opportunity to donate them for those purposes.  And if they are not viable, then science should be spurred on to use their creative resources to find a way to get the type of stem cells necessary for their research without doing harm to life.