Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Should Christians Keep the Sabbath?
The Lord says to keep the Sabbath....
Exodus 20:11 (NASB)
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Today there are constantly debates between Christians on whether worshiping the Lord on Sunday is okay, or if it is breaking the Sabbath because Saturday is the 7th day of the week.
I am going to clarify this right now. I do not have a horse in this race. I do not go to any church. I do not belong to any denomination as I write this. When I started looking into it, my only desire was to follow the truth of what God tells us.
One of the first things I noticed when looking up verses on the Sabbath, was this verse here...
Exodus 31:16 (NASB)
So the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant.’
It is important to know that God is particular with His words. When He uses specific words, it is for a specific reason. In this case he specifically tells us who this rule is for. The Sons of Israel. The Jews. If it was meant for everyone, God would either leave who it is for open, or He would tells us it is for all. When God says something is meant for the Jews, it is meant for the Jews.
Still, what does the rest of scripture tell us? Is this consistent throughout the Bible? So I decided to do a simple search for the word Sabbath in the New Testament. It is mentioned several times throughout the gospels, but again it is important to understand that the Gospels, though we learn about the Lord in them and are meant for everyone when it comes to salvation, they are about Jesus teaching the Jews.
If you are not aware that Jesus actually came for the Jews first and the salvation of the gentiles did not come until after Jesus had already died, please read "Did Jesus Come for Everyone?"
So as I continued on, I found that every time the word Sabbath came up in Acts, it was not about keeping the Sabbath, but using it as a time frame of when something happened. The first time the subject of keeping the Sabbath comes up after Jesus died is here...
Colossians 2:16 (NASB)
16 Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day--
Paul is clearly telling us that nobody can judge us when it comes to a Sabbath day. IF that is true, then not only would it be a sin to change when we observe Sabbath because someone tells us we are wrong, but it would by default be a sin for them to judge us. Paul does not say nobody "can" judge us, but that nobody "is to" judge us. If I say you are not to do something it means "don't do it"! Paul is telling Christians not to judge others over the Sabbath as much as he is telling Christians not to let others judge them.
Now there is one more time the word Sabbath is mentioned in the Bible. On the surface it seems to support keeping the Sabbath and someone who does not actually study the Bible in depth might believe that is what it means...
Hebrews 4:9 (NASB)
9 Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
However, I did a simple search for "Hebrews 4 explained" and found several commentaries. All four that I opened and read, taught the same thing basically. That the Sabbath rest mentioned is only a comparison of the rest we enter from our works today to the Sabbath where God rested when His work was done. I would suggest reading it in detail here....
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1978/06/what-does-hebrews-4-really-say
According to God's Word, I have found that the commandment of keeping the Sabbath was given to the Jews specifically. Not the Christians of the New Testament. Never once are believers of Christ as their savior told to keep the Sabbath.
On top of this, it does seem that there are two places in the New testament where they are already beginning to observe the Sabbath (Day of Worship) on Sunday.
Acts 20:7 (NASB)
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
1 Corinthians 16:2 (NASB)
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper, so that no collections need to be made when I come.
In both of these cases, they are using the first day of the week and not the last day of the week. What this tells me is something I have always believed. That the Bible never says the Sabbath must be the last day of the week. It only says we should work 6 days and rest the 7th. It never says what day of the week those 6 days must begin or what day of the week the day of rest must be. To believe that the Sabbath must be on a Saturday is push man's tradition over what God's Word actually says.
Yet even Jesus did not completely follow the Sabbath in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. They often accused Him of breaking the Sabbath. He often healed people on the Sabbath and the Jews thought that was wrong. But Jesus told them it is right to do good on the Sabbath. It is right to do God's work on the Sabbath.
The truth is, God was not looking to make us just rest our bodies on the 7th day. There was more reason to the Sabbath than that. It was more about after dealing with the stress of working and everything for 6 straight days, we were to take a rest from our work and focus on Him. God doesn't care if that is a Saturday, a Sunday or a Wednesday. God just wants you to take the time to focus on your relationship with Him.
Today, Christians have an advantage that the Jews never had. An advantage that the Jews have today but refuse to use. Jesus as our mediator to God! A personal relationship with the Lord. Today if a Christian is serious about their walk with the Lord, we focus on our relationship with Him on a daily basis. Not just once a week.
Today we are saved by grace and not by works. (Truth of Salvation). Today we do not need to worry about the Sabbath or the Law because that is not what saves us. God has written the Law on our hearts and the Holy Spirit within us helps us follow the Law that we are supposed to follow naturally. We are guided by the Holy Spirit and sealed with the promise of salvation. We are free from the law.
Romans 10:4 (NASB)
4 For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Galatians 5:13-14 (NASB)
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 2:16 (NASB)
16 nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
But if you insist on living by the law, you will be judged by the Law...
Romans 2:12 (NASB)
12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
Which is going to make it near impossible for you to get to heaven....
Romans 3:23 (NASB)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Exodus 20:11 (NASB)
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Today there are constantly debates between Christians on whether worshiping the Lord on Sunday is okay, or if it is breaking the Sabbath because Saturday is the 7th day of the week.
I am going to clarify this right now. I do not have a horse in this race. I do not go to any church. I do not belong to any denomination as I write this. When I started looking into it, my only desire was to follow the truth of what God tells us.
One of the first things I noticed when looking up verses on the Sabbath, was this verse here...
Exodus 31:16 (NASB)
So the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant.’
It is important to know that God is particular with His words. When He uses specific words, it is for a specific reason. In this case he specifically tells us who this rule is for. The Sons of Israel. The Jews. If it was meant for everyone, God would either leave who it is for open, or He would tells us it is for all. When God says something is meant for the Jews, it is meant for the Jews.
Still, what does the rest of scripture tell us? Is this consistent throughout the Bible? So I decided to do a simple search for the word Sabbath in the New Testament. It is mentioned several times throughout the gospels, but again it is important to understand that the Gospels, though we learn about the Lord in them and are meant for everyone when it comes to salvation, they are about Jesus teaching the Jews.
If you are not aware that Jesus actually came for the Jews first and the salvation of the gentiles did not come until after Jesus had already died, please read "Did Jesus Come for Everyone?"
So as I continued on, I found that every time the word Sabbath came up in Acts, it was not about keeping the Sabbath, but using it as a time frame of when something happened. The first time the subject of keeping the Sabbath comes up after Jesus died is here...
Colossians 2:16 (NASB)
16 Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day--
Paul is clearly telling us that nobody can judge us when it comes to a Sabbath day. IF that is true, then not only would it be a sin to change when we observe Sabbath because someone tells us we are wrong, but it would by default be a sin for them to judge us. Paul does not say nobody "can" judge us, but that nobody "is to" judge us. If I say you are not to do something it means "don't do it"! Paul is telling Christians not to judge others over the Sabbath as much as he is telling Christians not to let others judge them.
Now there is one more time the word Sabbath is mentioned in the Bible. On the surface it seems to support keeping the Sabbath and someone who does not actually study the Bible in depth might believe that is what it means...
Hebrews 4:9 (NASB)
9 Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
However, I did a simple search for "Hebrews 4 explained" and found several commentaries. All four that I opened and read, taught the same thing basically. That the Sabbath rest mentioned is only a comparison of the rest we enter from our works today to the Sabbath where God rested when His work was done. I would suggest reading it in detail here....
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1978/06/what-does-hebrews-4-really-say
According to God's Word, I have found that the commandment of keeping the Sabbath was given to the Jews specifically. Not the Christians of the New Testament. Never once are believers of Christ as their savior told to keep the Sabbath.
On top of this, it does seem that there are two places in the New testament where they are already beginning to observe the Sabbath (Day of Worship) on Sunday.
Acts 20:7 (NASB)
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
1 Corinthians 16:2 (NASB)
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper, so that no collections need to be made when I come.
In both of these cases, they are using the first day of the week and not the last day of the week. What this tells me is something I have always believed. That the Bible never says the Sabbath must be the last day of the week. It only says we should work 6 days and rest the 7th. It never says what day of the week those 6 days must begin or what day of the week the day of rest must be. To believe that the Sabbath must be on a Saturday is push man's tradition over what God's Word actually says.
Yet even Jesus did not completely follow the Sabbath in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. They often accused Him of breaking the Sabbath. He often healed people on the Sabbath and the Jews thought that was wrong. But Jesus told them it is right to do good on the Sabbath. It is right to do God's work on the Sabbath.
The truth is, God was not looking to make us just rest our bodies on the 7th day. There was more reason to the Sabbath than that. It was more about after dealing with the stress of working and everything for 6 straight days, we were to take a rest from our work and focus on Him. God doesn't care if that is a Saturday, a Sunday or a Wednesday. God just wants you to take the time to focus on your relationship with Him.
Today, Christians have an advantage that the Jews never had. An advantage that the Jews have today but refuse to use. Jesus as our mediator to God! A personal relationship with the Lord. Today if a Christian is serious about their walk with the Lord, we focus on our relationship with Him on a daily basis. Not just once a week.
Today we are saved by grace and not by works. (Truth of Salvation). Today we do not need to worry about the Sabbath or the Law because that is not what saves us. God has written the Law on our hearts and the Holy Spirit within us helps us follow the Law that we are supposed to follow naturally. We are guided by the Holy Spirit and sealed with the promise of salvation. We are free from the law.
Romans 10:4 (NASB)
4 For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Galatians 5:13-14 (NASB)
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 2:16 (NASB)
16 nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
But if you insist on living by the law, you will be judged by the Law...
Romans 2:12 (NASB)
12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
Which is going to make it near impossible for you to get to heaven....
Romans 3:23 (NASB)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
