Firebird,
First off, I said there was no Scriptural basis
requiring one day to be set apart from the next. Careful.
Second, I said that to say that the Christian physician who saves a life on one particualr day that supposedly should be set apart for church attendence--that such a one is in sin for this--is ludicrous. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan, where two religious persons passed a dying man by to go to, in essence, church? Remember Christ's response?
Regarding the languishing saints in Jerusalem and the collection on the certain day for them: if we today are obligated to come together on that same day, are we not also obligated to take the same collection for the same saints in the same Jerusalem in the same crisis? Was not that, following your logic, commanded for that particular situtation as well? How can one justify separating the day and the occurance which precipitated the speaking of the day? Or are the passages, after all,
descriptions of then contemporary situations, and Paul speaking within them?
The Biblical instances you are speaking of are happenings--occurances--not
commands of Christ or the Apostles. Paul was
describing, and speaking within, what the Corinthians did, and Luke
describing what the belivers did in Acts. Paul DID NOT give apostolic
command making permanent and perpetual the day, nor did Luke add a phrase justifying the practice he described by reference to any command of perpetuity of Christ or the Apostles, as was his pattern when the practices he described in Acts were based upon one (in Luke he made reference to the prophets when what he described was based on or came from such. As well, in Acts). Occurance and speaking within and to then contemporary situations vs. perpetual and non-time or situation bound specific command--HUGE difference. To not differentiate between the two is simply sloppy hermenuetics. We are not obligated, Sripturally, to obey occurances, nor commands for then contemporary situations, only commands
of perpetuity. For example, Paul asked Timothy to bring him a coat for the winter. Occurance and description for then...or perpetual command?--for today! Similarly, taking a collection on the certain day of the week to aid suffering Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Occurance and description for then...or perpetual command?--for today! Can principles be gleaned fromsuch? Yes. Can binding commands for all people of all time be gleaned from them? No.
Let me say, finally, that I think I see your heart and intent in all this, and that it is beautiful and wonderful; but I just don't think you need to go to anywhere near the length you are going to to meet what you are trying to meet. I would really hate to see you mess up becoming the physician you could be when, all along, God may not have been asking you to choose THIS battle, and THIS hill, as the one to make a do or die stand on.
The Story of the Good Samaritan
LK 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
LK 10:26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
LK 10:27 He answered: " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
LK 10:28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
LK 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
LK 10:30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after him,' he said, `and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
LK 10:36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
LK 10:37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
For the person who quoted from Exodus. I don't know where you are coming from, faith wise. So I am not really sure how to respond, or even if I should. But there are SOLID answers to the things you raised.
Maybe consider setting aside a few hours sometime and have a good, careful reading of the following links.
Hebrews 9
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=hebrews+9&vers ion=NIV&showfn=yes&showxref=yes&language=english
Hebrews 10
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=HEB+10&language=english&version =NIV&showfn=on
Romans
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=romans&version=NI V&showfn=yes&showxref=yes&language=english
Galatians
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=galatians&vers ion=NIV&showfn=yes&showxref=yes&language=english
Maybe tell what you think when you are through.