What is the Difference between the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day?
While Sunday is the traditional day of worship for Christians, many still remain uncomfortable over the issue of the Sabbath day. This is due to a common error that the Sabbath was the day of worship. Groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists hold that God requires the church service to be held on the Sabbath day which is Saturday, the seventh day of the week.
But is that really what the Sabbath command was?
In this article, I would like to tackle several of the questions and possible confusion Christians may have in reference to the 4th commandment of God found in Exodus 20:8-11, repeated in Deuteronomy 5:12-15. Are Christians required to observe the Sabbath? Was the Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday?
What is the Sabbath Day?
The word “Sabbath” comes from a Hebrew verb that means “to cease, stop, rest, and to come to an end.” Based on this definition of the word, the Sabbath Day was a day “to cease from work.” The institution of the Sabbath had its origin in Genesis 2:2-3 which states that on the seventh day, God rested after finishing His work of creation; God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work.
The important thing to note here is that no commandment is made in this text. Although God rested and observed the Sabbath, nothing is said about Sabbath observance and worship. The seventh day isn’t even called the Sabbath but is differentiated and set apart (sanctified) from the other six creation days.
God designed that the seventh day would be a special memorial to His creation and its original perfection.
Giving of the Sabbath to Man
The Sabbath was not given to man till 2500 years later in Exodus 20:8-10. Throughout the book of Genesis, there is no record of any Sabbath observance on the part of men, no mention of the Sabbath being a day of worship. There is no record that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the other patriarchs observed the Sabbath.
Even after the flood when God gave some commands to Noah and his sons (Genesis 9), nothing is said about Sabbath observance.
The first mention of the Sabbath in some significant way is in Exodus 16:22-26 when God feeds the people manna from heaven as they wander in the wilderness, and manna comes every day except the Sabbath day. God was preparing His people for the Sabbath command they would soon be given.
In the 20th chapter of Exodus, God gave the Ten Commandments and in it, the law for the Sabbath day has been given for the first time (Exodus 20:8-11). Israel was to treat the seventh day as holy because God had done so, and had declared it to be so.
The Observance of the Sabbath under the Law
The fourth commandment is not just a requirement to keep the Sabbath but more of an instruction to keep the Sabbath holy (Exodus 16:23; 20:8). Because God designated and declared the Sabbath day as a holy day, keeping it involves much more than abstinence from labor; it requires acknowledging it as a sacred and sanctified day because of God’s deeds and declaration.
It also instructs each Israelite to plan and finish his week’s work by the Sabbath. It deals with the problem of men not wishing to stop what they’re doing because they have not finished by instructing them to plan to finish by the end of the sixth day and to see to it that they do finish.
What’s the punishment for Sabbath-breakers? Death! Anyone who breaks the Sabbath is to be put to death (Exodus 31:14; 35:2). In Numbers 15:32-36, we read of the man who was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath to build fire and was stoned to death. (See also Exodus 35:2-3.) This tells us how serious God is about Sabbath-keeping.
What is the Lord’s Day?
In the New Testament, Revelation 1:10 is the only verse that refers to Sunday as “the Lord’s Day,” However, it is noteworthy that the apostolic Church kept Sunday, the Lord’s Day, as a day of fellowship and worship (Acts 20:7). But why Sunday and why is it called the Lord’s day? Because Sunday, the first day of the week, was when Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:9).
Beginning with the first resurrection Sunday, the Lord Jesus seemed to “train” His disciples to gather together on the first day of the week. Since that time, believers have gathered on the first day of the week to celebrate His victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 16:2). Also, the Church was born at Pentecost which fell on a Sunday, fifty days after Christ rose from the dead.
There is no verse in the Bible that commands believers to worship on the first day of the week but we do this simply because this has been the practice of Christians from the very beginning, based upon the life-changing fact of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The early Christians continued to meet regularly on the first day of the week, not on the Sabbath (Saturday).
Was the Sabbath Changed from the Seventh Day to the First Day?
Contrary to the claim of many Sabbatarians that Sunday worship was not instituted until the fourth century, the early church fathers, from Ignatius to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship.
*Get the book “From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation” by D.A. Carson for further study.
In this book, a series of authors assert the premise that Sunday is “a new day of worship that was chosen to commemorate the unique, salvation-historical event of the death and resurrection of Christ, rather than merely being another day for celebrating the Sabbath.”
Sunday has never replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. The Sabbath day that the Bible speaks about in Exodus 20:8-11 has nothing to do with worship and sacrifice. The Sabbath command was to do no work on the Sabbath day and nowhere in Scripture is the Sabbath day commanded to be the day of worship.
The Lord’s Day is not a direct counterpart to the Jewish Sabbath and the Sabbath day was not changed from the seventh day to the first day. “Sunday is not the Christian Sabbath” and it’s not biblically correct to refer to Sunday as the Sabbath because nowhere in Scripture is the first day of the week referred to as the Sabbath.
While the Lord’s Day is the day of sacrifice, worship, and fellowship, the Old Testament Sabbath as mentioned earlier was a day of rest; it was a day when beasts of burden, slaves, and humans all rested. It was not associated with temple attendance or any religious observance.
While some assume that the Lord’s Day in the New Testament is the equivalent of the Sabbath, the Sabbath was given to Israel as a sign of their covenant with God (Exodus 31:13, 17). It was a perpetual reminder to Israel of their separation unto God. Their keeping of the Sabbath would help distinguish them from the heathen (other nations) around them. The Sabbath day was also instituted by God for the nation of Israel to commemorate His deliverance of them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15).
Sunday has not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Rather, the Lord’s Day is a time for believers to gather and commemorate Jesus’ resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week.
Are Christians Required to Keep the Sabbath?
Although God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, that does not mean that He requires all of His people to rest on it. Because if He did then we should, by all means, keep it, even if we have to adjust our work schedules and sacrifice our time with our families.
If the effect on our lives is so great, we have to ensure we’re getting this right according to God’s commands. Is the command clear enough to require Christians to lose their jobs and suffer financially? Because if God does not require the Sabbath, then it would be wrong to put this unnecessary burden on anyone.
Some may argue that Jesus and the first Jewish Christians kept the Sabbath (Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14, 17:1-2, 18:1-4) so we must do the same. We have to understand that Jesus was born under the law so He kept all the Jewish laws and kept them perfectly. But Jesus rejected a strict legalistic interpretation of the Old Testament commandment. He said Sabbath observance was not a duty that mankind owed to God.
Rather, the Sabbath was made by God as a day of rest for man (Mark 2:27).
The first Christians were predominantly Jews and still adhered to the Mosaic and Jewish Laws so when Gentiles began to convert to Christianity, it created a dilemma among the Jewish Christians. There arose some disputes about whether the Gentile Christians had to observe the Jewish laws about dietary restrictions, circumcision, Sabbath observance, etc.
At the Council of Jerusalem, Paul, Peter, James, and other Church leaders decided, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that Sabbath observance was not one of the commands they felt necessary for Gentile believers to keep (Acts 15:19-20, 28-29).
Sabbath Observance by the Apostles
If Christians were to observe the Sabbath day, the apostles would have clearly taught the Gentile believers who obviously did not have any idea about Sabbath-keeping. If the Sabbath is important, why is it that the New Testament never repeats the command? The apostle Paul had a lot to say about how Christians must conduct themselves and lists numerous sins that can keep a person out of the kingdom of God, but he never mentions the Sabbath.
On the contrary, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days, which includes the Sabbath (Galatians 4:10-11). Paul also writes in Colossians 2:16-17 that monthly rituals, eating and drinking restrictions, and the celebration of annual festivals should not be the basis for judging other believers.
Paul is saying that Christians are not to say it is wrong for other Christians to be working on the Sabbath and they in return should not let anyone make them feel guilty for what they do on the Sabbath.
The reason for this is, that these rituals are just a shadow of the things that are yet to come, which are found in Christ. Similarly, Romans 14:5-6 makes it clear that Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. If a Christian feels he is being led to practice Sabbath-keeping, that is, not working on Saturdays, he may do so but should not judge those who do not keep the Sabbath.
What is the True Way to Keep the Sabbath Day?
There is a Sabbath rest for the people of God whereby believers need to rest and cease from their own works (Hebrews 4:9-10) in order to allow the living God to work in and through them (Hebrews 13:21).
But this Sabbath rest is not for Saturday or Sunday – it is for every day of the week. We do not just come into the presence of God and rest in His peace once a week on Sunday (Lord’s Day) but we can come to Him every day.
Final Thoughts
There is absolutely nothing wrong with worshiping on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
In fact, we should worship God every day. Not only on Saturday or Sunday. Many churches today have both Saturday and Sunday services, some even hold worship services every day for church members who need to work on Saturday and Sunday.
Christians are in no way obligated to keep the Sabbath command in the Old Testament because they are no longer under the Law, but the principle of keeping one day in a week and making it holy unto the Lord has not changed. Christians should still follow the pattern of designating one day of the week to gather in worship.
Six days we work and earn our living, and we designate one day holy unto the Lord to gather in worship, but we do not refer to this as the Sabbath.
124 Replies to “What is the Difference between the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day?”
Well done; a phenomenal job with good insight.
Thanks, John.
I’m glad you found this post insightful.
God bless!
Pardon, in my last statement I meant the greatest commandment of all not COMMITMENT. Please rectify that, admin Alice.
Got it!
The verse of Colossians where Paul is talking about not making a collection when he comes does refer to worship. Neither did the apostle Paul worship on the first day of the week which is Sunday. Remember he was a Jew and Sabbath keeper so how would he command worship on the first day of the week.
Here, when says let there be no collection when I come. What he meant was that he getting ready to leave and go to another place so he tells the Colossians that let each one put aside so when I come there be no collection. This is the context of the passage of scripture.
Okay.
I respect your view, Peter.
God bless!
Why didn’t James establish the Sabbath as an essential “rule” for the emerging gentile church? They certainly were not hanging out in synagogues prior to the Gospel.
Remarkable…may God bless you.
Your comments and responses teach even more about the article… I have never seen a better explanation about the covenants, and how they relate to Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17 sums it up “reminder not to judge one another NOT even about the “sabbath.” Read Colossians:2:20. We Christians should be focused on why and how Jesus came to us. ‘HOW’ referring to the process in the old testament after sin in Eden.
The Lord said that he will bring a new covenant unlike any other, and a better one. For the first time, God talks of the word NEW when bringing a covenant to his people, remember it’s the last covenant in the Bible… It’s new because 1) it’s like no other 2) it’s a better one.
People hype the so-called mosaic covenant because it was written by God’s hand. In fact, it was sealed just like the others by animals’ blood, does that make it a better one as stated about the New covenant? Absolutely not!
Jesus didn’t bring the new covenant, instead, he was the covenant,’ God’ himself manifested in flesh, once we learn and follow the ways of Christ we become one with him, and our relationship with God is restored forever.
People keep quoting these words all over the Article. if you love me keep my commandments, that’s funny how you try to attack whoever sharing their stand as a Christian just as the Pharisees tried to attack Jesus Christ by asking him if performing miracles during the sabbath was right. HERE Jesus talks about the love of the neighbor and command to love your God.
Just touching about the sabbath disagreement that is upsetting many… Is a miracle performance an act of worship? If no then what is worship. if it’s not prayer and doing that which glorifies God himself!… It’s on the day of rest that this was experienced and Jesus himself didn’t refuse the fact that he had done something that was never done during the sabbath (indication of sabbath being a day of rest and rest alone).
Remember he is the new covenant, his ways and general understanding of the law is what his followers (Christians) should be. A sign of him fulfilling the law, not by abolishing it, but by taking off the burden of law enslavement through grace and spirit which ensures that any sin is not above us (in other words power to overcome evil, we overcome evil by doing good).
Jesus also reminds you that the sabbath was made for man and not the other way around. Man is dynamic, despite it being a rest day he still has a catastrophe of his own activities and daily events all over that can eventually make him choose the day they wish to rest according to their schedule
CONCLUSION
Everything that you do, including acts of worship is judged according to the motive behind your doing. In other words ‘reason behind the act’ doing anything because it’s the law that says it’s totally out of the Christian circle. It should be the desire of your heart, mind, and soul that leads you for this and only this makes it legal and right.
Not by the LAW. Remember the bible says that some will claim to have performed “multiple miracles in my name and healed the sick,” but still goes to an eternity of suffering and burning. The Lord tells them that they never did according to his will and ways.
That also speaks a lot about how dynamic and strong Jesus’ name is. Not that I know everything about the covenants and Bible but I too seek and always pray for God’s guidance.
DO NOT BE BLIND. REMEMBER THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT OF THEM ALL GIVEN BY CHRIST JESUS WHO IS THE NEW COVENANT. Know it and understand it according to the events in the new testament.
Shalom, fellow Christians. Let’s keep praying for each other.
Instagram, jonnydaniels
Thank you, Mwongera, for joining the sharing and discussion.
I couldn’t agree more with everything you’ve said. I just hope we, Christians, will focus more on doing the works that God has called us to do.
I think it’s okay to have minor disagreements especially since we come from different cultural backgrounds. Or we may have a different upbringing.
Whether we concur that the Sabbath command is still binding to Christians today or not, may we never stray away from the fact that what makes one a Christian is if he or she has truly repented of his/her sin and placed their faith in the Lord Jesus.
May we always strive to glorify God in the way we conduct ourselves.
God bless you more.
Thanks so much for sharing this study. I sure do appreciate it.
You are very welcome, Mary. I am glad you found this helpful and enlightening.
God bless you.
From gathering what I get from people is that God changed the Seventh-day Sabbath instituted at creation but the bible is clear God says l Lord change not. Sunday observance is not biblical but is a man-made day in homage to human tradition.
Hi Peter,
That’s inaccurate.
God never changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. The Sabbath remains to be on the 7th day while the Lord’s Day is on the first day of the week.
We need to make that crystal clear.
God bless!
But the calendars changed and our calendar today has the Sunday as the 7th……
So it’s straight forewarn …….six days you will labour and the seventh day you will rest ……🙌🙌
What calendar are you referring to, Hans?
As far as I know, Sunday is still the first day of the week.
According to my point of view, we have to obey the Lord through his words to be like his children. Because he is our heavenly father, the creator. If we don’t follow his rules how shall he call us his children?
He gave us these commandments to guide us specifically on his blessed Sabbath day, who are we to change his words?
He said in the bible the world should perish but my word remains still. We have to respect God to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Hi Phillip,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am not sure if you are for Sabbath (7th) Day observance because your comment appeared like a reply to Peter Malambo who said that Sunday observance isn’t biblical.
I hope you’ll come back to clarify what you meant.
Shalom!
No Sir, Paul did keep the Sabbath and Colossians is speaking of the ceremonial sabbath (jewish feast days) not the Lord’s day, which is the 7th day and forever will be.
Or did Christ mislead us in Matt 5:19 and John 14:15 ?
Hi Anthony,
I appreciate you for joining the discussion. But where does it say in the Bible that the Lord’s Day is the 7th day?
Also, do you mind giving us the context of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:19 and John 14:15? We can’t just pick out verses and use them as proof texts; we must stick with the context, would you agree?
You may want to read Matthew 5:17-20 and tell me what Jesus meant when He said He did not come to destroy the Law and the prophets but to fulfill.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven?”
To answer your question … No! Christ did not mislead us. But for us to understand what He meant, we need to put ourselves in the position of His audience. What was Jesus saying to them and why?
This is where hermeneutics is crucial.
God bless!
This topic seems to have been over-complicated.
We know that the Sabbath day is the 7th day of the week and on that day God had rested, and so do we, as it states in (Exodus 20:9-11). But it clearly states in (Exodus 20:8), “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Therefore we must remember God’s rest day by resting on that same day and keeping it holy, with emphasis on “keeping it holy!”
Seems simple enough to understand …
Hi Sione,
Thanks for chiming in.
I believe that what makes this topic over-complicated is when other Christians try to impose it on others and judge them for not observing it. As I’ve said in the opening phrases of this post, some Christians believe that Sabbat-keeping is strictly binding on believers today while others do not.
And if you have read the whole article as well as the comments, you should have seen the arguments on both sides.
Shalom, God bless you!
Whatever man does, whether judging or not judging one another, has nothing to do with the binding nature of the law of God, His 10 commandments…. just like the the commandment of do not kill or do not commit adultery are still binding (as example), in like manner is the commandment of keeping the 7th day Sabbath Holy, in the Bible described as a Holy Day of Convocation and coming before God…for what if not for worship?
And please do not put the excuse for not keeping the 7th day Sabbath because supposedly it was solely given to Israel….but to whom do you think was the New Covenant given, if not to the House of Israel (Hebrews 8:8)?Which means that us Christians partaking of the New Covenant vows, we who were once aliens/foreigners have been made citizens of the House of Israel, as such partakers together with original Jewish believers, of God’s New Covenant, His blessing, His law and promises….and for us is the 7th day Sabbath as a sign for His people…
Ephesians 2:12 “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Ezekiel 20:20 “And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.”
Your OP is full of errors based in false assumption, none documented with the scriptures I could point them all out to you, but given the limitations of time I will only do a few more.
For example you say that Sunday started as the memorial of the resurrection, yet that same Sunday of the resurrection, you see the woman going to work with the body of Jesus (they did not know that He had resurrected), we see 2 disciples going for the long walk to Emmaus, and in top of that being together of the saints that day, can be easily explain that these were hiding from the Jewish leaders out of fear, and if not, they frequently met together for supper, to break bread, during many days of the week if that was the case.
Besides the resurrection already had a yearly Sabbath memorial, called the day of the first fruits, as pointing to Jesus resurrection…NO OTHER IS NEEDED.
Besides why not remember the day of crucifixion for that matter? The truth is that Jesus not only rested the 7th day Sabbath while alive, but also rested after the cross, in His grave that fateful Sabbath of rest and also 1st day of unleavened bread….
Actually the few errors in your part I have pointed above should help you to recognize what Christ wants for you to do and to correct, specially correcting all these errors you present which are leading the reader in the wrong path, of which ultimate result, you will be responsible… for endorsing the breaking of the law of God, doing so while desecrating His Holy Sabbath, as sanctified by God Himself.
Remember what God speaks or does never goes back…He never errs…
REMEMBER THIS VERSE:
Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (ALSO CALLED JUST THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL IN VERSE 10)
ANOTHER ERROR I will correct is that the 7th day Sabbath is not mentioned in the New Testament…here quoted is where it is found:
Hebrews 4:4 “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.”
Hebrews 4:5 “And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.”
Hebrews 4:6 “Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief.”
What you apparently are not aware is that the rest of the 7th day Sabbath is both an spiritual and physical rest in that day, which points to the spiritual rest with find in Jesus every day and in His heavenly kingdom to come, one does not cancel the other!
The proof that you still need a weekly Sabbath/7th day to rest, is found in the fact that this commandment speaks of complete physical rest in the 7th day of the week, a total rest from work. Which means that if you continue saying that the rest of the 4th commandment is now to take place everyday, that is nor true and neither recommended, because you are forgetting that the 4th commandment requires a rest from physical work, and people resting from physical work every day as you recommend, are in fact being lazy, and not keeping the law of God which choose specifically the 7th day Sabbath as the day of Rest from this physical work.
People still need to physically rest, and the day given by God for that purpose was the 7th day Sabbath.
Your idea that the 7th day Sabbath is not for worship is total error. Being members of the House of Israel, when accepting the New Covenant also means that we keep the law of God as instructed by God, keeping the 7th day Sabbath/4th commandment as a day of Holy Convocation to worship before God as told in the Bible in Leviticus 23, besides being the day of weekly rest.
The Sabbath
Lev 23:3 “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
At this point I just took this time, because I want you and others to be saved, and to realize your need of stopping from breaking the 7th day Sabbath which is a sin… The 7th day which is not the Jewish Sabbath as you call it, but it is the 7th day Sabbath of the Lord (Exodus 20: 10)
=
Exodus 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God:
And any knowledge of English (which is not bias to some idea) will help you to realize that THE 7TH DAY SABBATH BEING THE DAY OF THE LORD = MEANS THAT IT IS THE LORD’S DAY…(as called in Revelation 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day…”
Nowhere in there says that that was a Sunday, that idea is the product of a false understanding of the true Sabbath/7th. And by the way, the change of the 7th day Sabbath was the product of an early apostasy, mostly starting in the post apostolic era, but made a Civil law by the roman Emperor Constantin in 321 AD, and finally made a formal cannon of the church by the Roman Catholic Church in the Council of Laodicea, later in the 4th century Ad.
Actually many records of that early era described most of the early churches keeping the 7th day Sabbath, yet the Sunday rest originating from Rome and Alexandria Egypt, these the primary centers of early Christian apostasy!!!
God bless,
Nini
Hi Nini,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Sabbath observance.
You said, “At this point I just took this time, because I want you and others to be saved…”
You mean your salvation is based on your observance of the Sabbath? My dear, my salvation is solely based on the finished works of Christ, praise God, hallelujah!
And if not keeping the Sabbath is a sin that hinders one from entering heaven, we would surely find the apostle Paul repeating it everywhere in his letters to the churches. If Sabbath observance is crucial to salvation, we would find it taught every time the gospel is preached.
Shalom!
Hi Alice,
If you love God, keep His commandment. We are not observing the Sabbath for our salvation, but we observe the Sabbath because we love Him as He loved us first. And keeping the sabbath is not a burden for us because we love Him and want to obey his laws. “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” 1 John 5:3 (NIV).
You see, once you loved God you would want to obey His commands.
I love God, therefore I want to obey his commands. I want to obey his commands because I’m already saved. Many Christians don’t understand us (the Sabbath keepers) why we keep the sabbath. They think that we keep the sabbath for our salvation as you’ve mentioned above.
Actually, we keep the sabbath because we love Him for what he has done for us, and knowing we are saved. But we do not keep the sabbath for our salvation. We keep the Sabbath because it is one of his commands, such as do not kill, do not steal, do not have other gods before him, etc.
For Israelites, keeping the sabbath or his commands were hard because they do not love God and did not understand the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Sabbath day is a rest day for everyone including animals. It was given to us to remember that God is the creator of the universe.
As long as we keep the Sabbath as it should be, we will never become atheists. That’s why it is very important to keep the Sabbath for man.
The root of the Sabbath is much much deeper than you thought. It should be a rest day, family gathering day, a better time to connect with God, etc.. hope you understand.
Have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow!
Hello Van,
I understand your point. I am so glad you said you’re not keeping the Sabbath to maintain you salvation. But rather, you’re doing it because you love God.
Of course, we obey God because we love Him. We’re definitely on the same page here. What we don’t see eye to eye on is if the 4th commandment is binding on Christians today. I’d say it’s not.
I do appreciate your kind comment, God bless and happy Sabbath.
☺
In John 7:22, Jesus shows the Pharisees who were more into keeping the Sabbath that circumcision to them was far better kept than keeping the Sabbath.
And most of the time Jesus was showing the Pharisees how the keeping of the Sabbath was not so vital for he broke it several times.
There is also a narrative that Sunday worship started with Constantine but when you read the letter of Ignatius to the Magnesians, Ignatius was happy that most people were getting away from sabbath worship to Sunday worship.
Also if sabbath observance was key to the believers, then the council of Jerusalem would have decided on it to be observed by the believers.
I have also seen many people interpreting Hebrews 4 to be talking about the seventh-day Sabbath. Yet here the Bible is promising a sabbath rest for the believers different from the seventh day rest.
Hey there, totally respect your point of view.
However, based on scripture I do feel that we should be observing a Sabbath day, I’m not legalistic in saying which day of the week it should be, but I wholeheartedly agree not observing a day to cease work and rest is not only unhealthy but not promoted by biblical teachings.
I’d recommend reading “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” a Christian book that covers this topic immensely well.
Have a blessed weekend!
Thanks for jumping in, Izael.
I hope you had a great and blessed weekend as well.
Where can I find this book you just mentioned.
Ruthless Elimination of hurry
Hey Chris,
You can get the book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World” by following this link.
But before purchasing it, I encourage you to read the reviews first.
Shalom!
Disclaimer: I may earn a commission when you purchase the item through the link I provided, at no additional cost to you. But this does not mean I am recommending it.
The End of the Old Testament clearly reminds God’s people to remember His sabbaths and decrees that he gave Moses. The Old Testament was not just for Jews. It was for all who wanted to follow God and do what he says.
Anything else is lawlessness.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Brandon.
Shalom!
Hey. Just read almost all the comments on this contentious topic! Great insight Alice. I think, the sabbath in light of the resurrection of Christ is overlooked for the sake of law keeping. Keep up the great work Alice!!
Hi Nefu,
Thank you for your words of encouragement, it really means a lot.
And it saddens me that differing views on Sabbath observance has caused division in the body of Christ. Nevertheless, let us remain patient in reaching out to the other side, with love.
God bless!
Alice,
Bless your heart! You are so patient!! I love it.
You’re exactly right on with your article and your comments. I love your writing skills. They are amazing. Keep spreading Truth when and where possible, God bless you!
I went through a tough time with my Ex-Wife when she decided to go back to her childhood religion of Seventh Day Adventism. That was the demise of our marriage. She turned from a loving person to a controlling and oppressive SDA. It was painful. I was still going to our church on Sundays and she would go to her church on Saturdays. We both felt so separated.
We did go to each other’s church for a while but the oppressive bondage that was being demanded I go under was not working for me. I showed her verses, prayed, talked to her but her mind was made up and she refused to let the Holy Spirit guide her.
I still love her very much and we still talk. But she is bewitched by Ellen G White and the SDA church as these others are that you are trying to share truth with.
Anyway, God bless you and your efforts. They are like those that 2 Corinthians 3:14 speak of, “But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.”
Take care and I’ll be praying for you and your ministry.
Hello Boondock,
Thank you for your words of encouragement, they really mean a lot.
I am so sorry to hear about your ex-wife. It breaks my heart to hear of couples, joined together by God, ending up in divorce as a result of not seeing eye to eye in regard to what the Word of God says. You’re absolutely right; she’s been bewitched by Ellen White, just like many SDA members.
I really hope that one day she’ll be enlightened, along with those who still hold to the belief that keeping the Sabbath somehow guarantees their salvation and not keeping it will send one to hell.
God is good; He’s sovereign and He has everything under control.
God bless you more.
There is a lot of falsehood and darkness in this article.
First the sabbath wasn’t instituted after 2500 years of creation, it was gifted to man the second day after his creation, that’s the seventh day of creation and is the only command that differentiates who the true God is.
Secondly, sabbath was set aside “for man” not for the Jews and if we are to put away the sabbath we should put away all Christian values as well.
Third, God commanded the keeping of the seventh day sabbath for His own identity, nowhere in the scriptures testifies that he further commanded the keeping of 1st day of the week.
Fourth, the day was set aside and sanctified-to benefit man, not the men -so called lord’s day, nowhere in the scripture portrays sanctification of the 1st day of the week.
MADAM,DONT BE DECEIVED BY SATANIC EXCUSES NOT TO OBEY GOD. INSTEAD, QUESTION YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT DELIBERATELY DRIVES YOUR TO BREAK GOD’S COMMANDMENTS,SPIRIT OF GOD NEVER LEADS TO TRANSGRESSION.
BEWARE: Satan’s Aim is to make you transgress God’s law as he did himself, to make you meet his fate in condemnation as he already is condemned to hell fire.
Hello Elphas,
Thank you for dropping by and reading the article.
I understand that as a Seventh-day Adventist, you strictly observe the Sabbath which is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament. And as I responded to your fellow Sabbatarians, it’s up to you if you want to strictly observe it but you are not to impose it on others.
I do not mean to be rude but it’s the same argument over and over again. I mean, I never heard anything new. So if it’s not much to ask, you can just read my responses to every comment in the comment thread below.
Even the apostle Paul never taught the church, of which a majority were Gentiles who had no idea about Sabbath observance, to strictly keep it. Interestingly, he rebuked some of the Jewish believers who wanted to impose it on others. You can refer to my interactions with other commenters by scrolling all the way down.
The only thing I will say is this, “I am so thankful that my salvation is not work-based, i.e., it is not dependent on how I obey every law. Rather it’s based on the finished works of Christ. I received my salvation as a gift.”
And if you call my arguments satanic excuses, that’s your opinion, and you are entitled to it. Again, I am so glad you won’t be my judge at the end of the day but my Lord Jesus and He will judge me at the judgment seat of Christ where I will be receiving my rewards based on my works as a believer.
Just one more thing before I end, if you believe the observance of the Sabbath was given to you, I challenge you to also keep all the other Jewish ceremonial and dietary laws. Because if you break even a single one of them, you have broken them all.
Oh wait, didn’t Jesus rebuke the legalism of the Pharisees. Isn’t that so telling?
I feel sad that you seem to believe that Christ’s finished works on the cross are not sufficient to save you so you have to do all you can to follow the LAW. But if man can be justified by the works of the law, Christ did not have to take on human flesh, suffer and die in order to redeem man.
Perhaps, you are still in bondage. Let the blood of Christ set you free.
Shalom!
Dear Alice,
There is a saying, perhaps an old saying, that goes like this: “A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”
I respect you and the zeal with which you espouse your opinions. There is a verse of Scripture that I believe we can both agree on and it is Romans 10:4 (10/4 good buddy…not sure that resonates with you….anyway) “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. ”
You might want to view sometime a documentary series, THE SEVENTH DAY (Revelations From The Lost Pages of History). It was hosted by Hal Holbrook an American actor and released in 2005.
You may already be aware of that, but I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the subject at hand.
Shalom,
David
Indeed, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).
Thank you, David.
Shalom!
Hello Alice,
You have said a number of times that the Sabbath was all about resting from labor and has nothing to do with worship.
If I have misunderstood you please correct me.
Allow me to point you to a passage of Scripture in Isaiah. Let’s go to Isaiah chapter 66 and take a look at verses 22 and 23.
22: “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants (comment: the descendants from Abraham which will number symbolically speaking as the starry host includes the redeemed Gentile peoples) and your name remains.
23 And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one SABBATH to another, All flesh shall come TO WORSHIP before Me, says the Lord.”
Now if the Seventh Day Sabbath has been done away with, I reckon that the LORD is going to have to REINSTITUTE HIS HOLY DAY in the new heavens and the new earth.
Blessings dear Alice,
Yours in Christ
David
Hello again, David.
If you go back to the article, I said that when the command to observe the Sabbath was given to the Jews, it did not mention anything about worship and sacrifice. Rather, it was about taking a rest from their labor Exodus 20:8-10).
It was also a sign between God and them (the nation of Israel) and they must celebrate it as a lasting covenant (Exodus 31:16-17). So it makes complete sense that it was repeated to them when God promised to restore Zion.
I must admit, I was a bit surprised when you quoted Isaiah 66:22-23 and noted that the “redeemed” Gentiles are included in the descendants of Abraham. I believe this is where our differences in regards to the law of Sabbath-keeping stems from.
If you read the whole passage (Isaiah 66:1-24), it talks about the future of Zion (Jerusalem) and its people – the Jews. Let me ask you again, do you believe the church is now the new Israel and that God is finished with the Jewish people? This is another topic, I know so I won’t push it any further.
I don’t want to sound long-winded, David. Everything that needs to be said on my part has already been laid out in the article itself and in my comments to Dan, to you and to the others who took time to leave their thoughts.
I understand that you stand by your conviction that Sabbath-keeping is still binding upon Christians today and I stand by my conviction that it’s not. Why don’t we just leave it that way.
At the end of the day, we (the believers in Jesus) shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of how we lived our lives (2 Corinthians 5:10).
By the way, you said you concur with me that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works as Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states. I’m sorry to say this but I sense that you don’t really mean that.
Because if you do, you wouldn’t be so keen on strictly keeping the Sabbath and even go the extra mile to tell other Christians they are breaking God’s Law for worshiping Him on other days except the 7th day of the week.
It’s true; Jesus never told believers He was giving them a new day of worship, i.e, Sunday. But He also never said that Christians must observe the Sabbath the same way the nation of Israel does, neither did Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
Blessings!
It seems that the root of your errors is based in your faulty understanding of who is the House of Israel, to whom the New Covenant was given (when her Old Covenant ended at the cross, the New Covenant is for the reconciliation/atonement of the House of Israel also.
The fact that the New Covenant, identified with the Christian Church as being called the House of Israel, says much of the true understanding of who is the Christian church, as being the NT continuation of the House of Israel (the Israel of faith), Christ as heir of the throne of David, and us gentiles believers once alien, by accepting Christ having become part of His kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel.
Within that context it becomes evident, that what was good for Israel when given the New Covenant is also for us gentile believers who although once alien has become citizens of the kingdom of Israel, (aka the Israel of faith, the Israel of God, the Commonwealth of Israel) as such receiving the benefits of full citizens, as such the law of God, and the 7th day Sabbath as a sign for Israel, it is also a sign for us, they as keepers of the 7th day Sabbath, as such us gentiles.
Once you come to the understanding of who is Israel of the NT, as defined in the Bible, then you will be able to know what God expects from you as adopted child in his family, the house of Israel, its New Covenant/wedding vows, are with the House of Israel, and to become partakers of the New Covenant means becoming citizens of Christ’s kingdom, the Israel of faith, His Church.
Another point…
You are right in saying that Salvation is by grace through faith…
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
but you are forgetting that perdition is the result of the person’s sins which is breaking the law of God (inclusive of breaking the commandment of keeping the 7th day Sabbath Holy…as He made it at Eden)
Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, ***according to their works.***
Which ultimately is a warning to all of us, certainly we find pardon and therefore salvation in Christ….but all of us have to read carefully Hebrews 10:26-31 where we are told that to willfully sin (PERSISTENT BREAKING OF THE LAW OF GOD) means to finding no more sacrifice for sin (no more pardon for our breaking God’s law/sin) and which end result is loosing the person’s found salvation in Christ, the blood of the Covenant..as such is eternal death:
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we sin willfully (ON PURPOSE, OVER AND OVER AGAIN) after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth “no more sacrifice for sins” (NO MORE PARDON), But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour (KILL) the adversaries (SINNERS/BREAKERS OF THE LAW).”
COMPARING THE OLD TESTAMENT/OLD COVENANT:
Hebrews 10:28 “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.”
WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT/NEW COVENANT
Hebrews 10:29 “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God(CHRIST), and hath counted the blood of the covenant (CHRIST’S BLOOD), wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite (CONTEMPT/REJECTION) unto the Spirit of grace (THE HOLY SPIRIT)?”
REMEMBER…
=For we know him that hath said,
-Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.
-And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
= It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
FINALLY…you are smart. If you see Papal Rome/Babylon the Great endorsing the New World Order, which is her worldwide ecumenic religious empire = a One World ecumenic religion, and a one world government/empire. described in Revelation 17.
And you see that is Papal Rome/Babylon the Great who is bringing the Sunday law (aka, Climate Sabbath/Green Sabbath) which is the mark of the Beast (which is the opposite of the sign of God for His people which is the 7th day Sabbath (Ezekiel 20:20) all that should be enough to come to the understanding that the Sunday Sabbath is the false Sabbath, and to accept this Sunday law means a one way ticket to eternal damnation…you certainly do not want that for yourself or others.
Please keep an eye on present events, the Mark of the Beast is here which is the Sunday law…while the Sign/mark of God for his people, us, the Israel of faith is the 7th day Sabbath… that should tell anybody that it is time to accept the 7th day Sabbath as the day of the Lord, the Lord’s Day, and in so doing stop sinning….
Saved because of Christ grace, by which He has brought you in this forum the witness of multiple individuals to the sacredness of God’s 7th day Sabbath….
Remember that to willfully sin, by persistently breaking the law of God, such as a continually breaking the 7th day Sabbath (when we are told that needs to be kept Holy), this will mean eventual eternal death….
Yes….Blessed God, who offers us salvation as a gift… but let us not forget that by choosing to sin, break the law of God, we are choosing to die (willful repetitive sin, breaking the law of God, leads to finding no more pardon, therefore loosing one’s salvation and resultant death, as per Hebrews 10:26-31…so says the Bible…
Yet Jesus has send us many warnings, many of them in this forum, so that the truth of the binding nature of the law of God, His 7th day Sabbath included, may be known….so that we may not continue in willful sin, by responding to His Spirit in living a Spirit guide life into keeping the law of God..as such be able to keep His law so that we may not be lost….may not die…
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Romans 8:4 “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
God bless,
Nini
I hear all your arguments, Nini, and again, these are not new.
And by the way, the Church and Israel are never used interchangeably. So, for you to say that the New Testament does not make a distinctions between them (the church and the nation of Israel) is simply wrong. Just read Romans 11 and you’ll see that Israel is still a separate entity from the church.
One more thing, you said that the Sunday law is the mark of the beast. You’re wrong! Please read the book of Revelation 13 very carefully.
Based on your comments, you believe that you can lose your salvation. I don’t mean to be rude but let me just say, “Good luck with trying to maintain your salvation by keeping the 7th Day Sabbath.”
Sabbath-keeping is not binding on Christians today. Thus, failure to observe it is not breaking God’s law.
As I said in one of my responses to the comments below, Sabbath observance (the 4th of the Ten Commandments) is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament.
I encourage you to take a deeper examination of your views on the Sabbath.
God bless!
Poor Nini. SDA and the falsehood of Ellen White they refuse to hear.
https://books.google.com/books/about/THE_BIG_BOOK_OF_ELLEN_G_WHITE_ERRORS.html?id=jLEpBgAAQBAJ
Hi Ken,
Many have been deceived by Ellen White and her false teachings. Let’s pray that they will be enlightened.
Blessings …
Dearest Alice,
You have stated that “The New Testament church HEADED BY PETER AND JAMES did not gather on the Seventh Day for worship.”
Acts 3:1 tells a different story: “Now Peter and John went up together to the Temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.” Acts 2: 46 tells us “… so continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house….”
We really don’t hear a lot about Peter, James, and John in the book of Acts, but quite a bit about Paul. In Acts 17:2 we read, “Then Paul, as his custom was, went into them, and for three SABBATHS reasoned with them from the Scriptures…”
Acts 18:4 says of Paul, “And he reasoned in the synagogue every SABBATH, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”
And let’s be accurate when one speaks about who “headed up the church”. It certainly was not Peter and James. Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 3:6, 4:15-16, 5:23, Colossians 1:18, 24 makes it quite clear that the Lord Jesus is the head of the body of believers which is His church. Peter and James are members, not the head.
Blessings to you my Sister in Christ.
I stand corrected for saying that the NT church was headed by Peter and James. I mean to say they were the leaders of the Jerusalem church.
As I said, it made sense that Paul went to the synagogues every Sabbath because it was the day the Jews gathered. The point I’m trying to make is that Paul never imposed gathering on the Sabbath to the Gentile believers. If you can you give me any biblical support that commands Sabbath-keeping to Christians, other than those mentioned by Dan, I will surely consider.
Why don’t I accept passages from the Old Testament? Because in those passages (Exodus 16:23-30; Exodus 20:2-11; Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Exodus 31:12-17; Leviticus 19:1, 30) the command to keep the Sabbath was specifically given to the Jewish nation of Israel, no one else. As I said in the article, the Sabbath was a special sign between the Jews and God. Unless you believe that the church has replaced Israel ☺.
Again, the Laws of Moses, including the Sabbath, were never commanded to anyone except the Jewish nation of Israel. Unless I am misreading the passages. If we claim that Scripture is our final authority, then we need to base our claims on the Bible.
I also find it interesting that you did not address Colossians 2:16-17. Why don’t we look at it beginning from verse 13:
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements (written code or LAW of Moses) that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ (Colossians 3:13-17).
Paul is saying, “Not that you can keep them from having their opinions, but you are not to allow them to put you under bondage to laws that were never given to Gentiles in the first place. You are not to allow them to pressure, shame, or intimidate you to become slaves to these rules that were never intended to save anyone anyway.”
You wrote: “Why don’t I accept passages from the Old Testament? Because in those passages (Exodus 16:23-30; Exodus 20:2-11; Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Exodus 31:12-17; Leviticus 19:1, 30) the command to keep the Sabbath was specifically given to the Jewish nation of Israel, no one else.”
My goodness why don’t you quote the exact verses, perhaps that is why you make so many errors. First of all, the Sabbath was also for the stranger (foreigner) in their midst. Again the 7th day Sabbath, as shown in the NT, is for all believers, including original believing Jews and gentile believers, which are called the House of Israel, to whom the New Covenant was given.
>>>As I said in the article, the Sabbath was a special sign between the Jews and God. Unless you believe that the church has replaced Israel ☺.
The church is the continuation of the Israel of faith of the OT which continues in the NT…as a good study of Romans 11 will show you, by showing the same Good Olive tree of the OT continuing in the NT with just a trimming of its branches, some original branches/Jewish believers remaining attach to this Good Olive Tree (Symbol of the Israel of Faith) and some grafted new ones/believer gentiles added, but nonetheless the same tree…
Will not repeat myself … but the 7th day Sabbath remains as His sign for his people, the Good Olive tree, aka the Israel of faith…
So what happened to Israel,
In the OT it had to level of attachment to God, at the political level of the theocracy, and at the spiritual level as God’s church…
In the NT it retained its spiritual attachment, at the personal level for the remnant of believers which had accepted Christ, while it lost its political attachment as a nation under God.
Only in Christ is both the spiritual attachment for the remnant found and finally its physical kingdom is to be restored for the Israel of Faith….
Right now, the spiritual kingdom of Christ is ruling for His church… soon Christ is to be crown, and His physical kingdom be restored here on earth, Christ as the heir of the Kingdom of Israel, His physical kingdom in the earth made new….that is why Christ that His kingdom was not of this earth…likely because its physical kingdom is of the Earth made New…the Kingdom of Israel…ruling from the Mount of Olives.
Stay tuned!
Hi again!
I appreciate your effort to share your arguments for keeping the Sabbath.
Apparently, we do not see eye to eye on a lot of passages. Also, you hold to the view that observing the 7th day Sabbath is crucial to your salvation; I don’t. You also claim that breaking the Sabbath is the unforgivable sin. You may not have said it directly but you surely did imply it. According to you, one loses his/her salvation by not keeping the Sabbath.
If Sabbath-keeping is required to keep your salvation then your salvation is not by grace. I’m sorry to disappoint you but the disciples never taught that, nor did Paul.
But why don’t we just agree to disagree.
Hello Alice Dear,
I trust you are well.
In reading some of your replies to various comments it appears that you may not be comprehending fully what people are saying. Dan’s comments are a case in point.
Regarding my quoting Jesus in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus my point was like the blindness of the Pharisees, so you too seem to be blind to the points made by Dan as he took your article point by point and clearly revealed the weakness of your stand on this issue.
Now I want you to know that I believe that we are saved by grace through the finished work of Christ. But does that mean that the Law of God has been done away with? Specifically the Ten Commandments. The Bible says “shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” Romans 6:1,2.
I hope that we could agree that we should not as Christians lie, cheat, steal, etc. as clearly stated in the Commandments written by the finger of God.
The handwriting of ordinances was indeed nailed to the cross, but Not the Law as contained in the Ten Commandments which INCLUDES THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT!
Paul states in Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW.”
Paul further states in Romans 7:12, “Therefore the law is HOLY, and the commandment HOLY and JUST and GOOD.”
Shabbat shalom!
David
Hi, again David,
I’m so glad we agree that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. We may disagree on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus but I hope we will come to terms with what LAW Paul was referring to in Romans 3:31 and why he said the things he said.
In context, Romans 3 is all about how we are justified by faith and not by works. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3: 20 NIV).
The LAW showed man’s sinfulness and need for salvation. But it cannot save us, only faith in the finished works of Christ. Throughout Romans and Galatians, Paul said over and over again that the law does not save us. What law?
It is alleged by many that Romans 3:31 demonstrates that the Mosaic law, with the exception of the offering of animal sacrifices, is as binding today as it was thirty-five centuries ago.
While there are many lessons to be learned from the Old Testament (Romans 15:4), and though the former law contains principles that are timeless in nature (Proverbs 6:16, for example), the law of Moses itself (that includes observance of the seventh-day Sabbath), as a legal system, is not an obligation for the modern man (and never was for Gentiles).
Are you aware that even the Israelite people (to whom the law was given initially—Deuteronomy 5:1-5) have been released from the Mosaic code? Please read Matthew 5:17; Romans 7:4; Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:7, 11, 13; Galatians 3:25; 4:7; 5:1, 13; Ephesians 2:14-15; Philippians 3:7; Colossians 2:14, 16 and Hebrews 8:6, 13.
Thes verses are sufficient to show that the Mosaic code, as a law system, is no longer in force. I am not claiming the Law no longer exists. The Law has not been destroyed, but it has been fulfilled by Jesus. Having been fulfilled, it is now “set aside” (Hebrews 7:18; 10:8-10; Romans 10:4).
I really wished you did not cherry-pick the verses you quoted from Romans.
P.S. If we read very carefully, the Ten Commandments containing the command to keep the Sabbath was given to the Jews. Does this mean the 10 commandments are not binding to us today? All of them are, except the 4th, because it’s the only command that is not repeated in the NT.
On the other hand, the nine commandments were raised to a higher standard by Jesus. For instance, adultery; in the OT you have to commit the ACT to be charged but in the NT, if a man simply looks lustfully at a woman he has already committed adultery in his heart. Same with murder, simply hating your brother already constitutes murder.
And the 9 commandments have been summed up into the two greatest commandments (Mark 12:30-31).
Shalom!
Dear Alice,
I will simply say this. Show me and others specifically where Jesus or the apostles said, “I am giving you a new day to gather for worship, fellowship, and teaching. It is the Lord’s day; the day of the resurrection.”
As you know Alice the term “the Lord’s day ” is found only once in the New Testament; Revelation 1:10.
So what is the Lord’s Day according to the Scriptures?
Isaiah 58:13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on MY HOLY DAY, and call the Sabbath a delight, THE HOLY DAY OF THE LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,”
In Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28 and in Luke 6:1-5 Jesus declares that He is “THE LORD OF THE SABBATH “.
We know also from John 1:1-3 that Jesus the Word made flesh created all things. Colossians chapter 1 confirms that Jesus created all things. So when it is recorded in Genesis 2:1-3 that God, who created the heavens and the earth and all the host thereof, ceased His creative work and blessed and sanctified the Seventh-day, is it not apparent that The Word instituted the Sabbath for all mankind?
When Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is FINISHED!” The work of redemption was complete and secure. And then in death, the Lord of glory and of the Sabbath rested (slept) in the tomb on the Sabbath.
And let’s continue a little further. In Acts, chapter 13 Paul and his party came to Antioch (and this is years after Jesus’s resurrection) and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down (vs.14) and in verse 16 Paul begins speaking and presents the Gospel.
Verse 42 tells us that the Gentiles begged that Paul would preach to them again the NEXT SABBATH. Now if Paul and the other followers of Jesus were going to meet together the next day(the first day of the week) why didn’t Paul invite those Gentiles to meet with him the very next day?
The reason is obvious. There was not going to be a meeting the next day to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection!
Blessings and may the eyes of your understanding be opened.
Hi David,
First of all, I never said that Christians must strictly gather for worship and sacrifice on the first day of the week, i.e., Sunday. If you read my closing statement in the article, I said it does not really matter what day we will choose to give to Lord. What matters is that in the seven days that God has given us, we would do well to give one day to the Lord.
Indeed, Jesus said He, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). But going back one verse, He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Man was not made to observe the Sabbath, the Sabbath was given to provide relief for man.
The Sabbath was intended to help people, not burden them. If you say that Saturday must be the only day when Christians come together to worship God, what about those who have to work on a Saturday because their employers require them to? Should they quit and find another job?
(And how can you be sure that the numbering scheme of the days exactly matches the one day God rested in Genesis?)
I am glad that today, many churches hold worship services 3 times a week, some even hold daily services so that members who are not available on Sundays can still worship.
Again, you did not address the Jerusalem Council and Colossians 2:13-17. There was a huge debate going on about circumcision… and whether the Gentiles needed to become circumcised when they believed. The Jerusalem council (Acts 15) ruled they did not.
The Sabbath was a similar issue. We know that the seventh day (Sabbath) was instituted as a holy day in which no one was to work… it was a day of rest.
So now to come to the point, when Gentile believers started observing Sunday as the day of rest (it was the day Jesus rose from the dead and also the day that the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost. Early believers called it “the Lord’s day), some of the zealous Jewish Christians began to judge them saying, “You have to keep the Sabbath.”
So Paul tells these Gentile believers (in Colossians), “don’t let anyone judge you” about this matter.
In other words, it really doesn’t matter if you change your day of rest and worship from Saturday to Sunday or any other day. After all, salvation is by grace through faith, not on the observance of the Sabbath.
You asked me to show you where Jesus changed the Sabbath to Sunday, I say, “nowhere.” But can you also show me where Paul taught the Gentile believers in his letters to set Saturday as the day of worship?
We know that the Gentile believers gathered on the first day of the week as evident in Acts 20:7 where they celebrated the Lord’s Supper. See also 1 Corinthians 16:2. Again, it does not matter what day the believers come together.
In our church here in the Middle East, under normal circumstances, we gather twice a week. One for Bible study and prayer (Monday evening) and one for worship service (Friday). Why Friday? It’s because this is the day when most of us have our day off.
I know you mean well, David. Thank you and God bless!
Hello, again Alice,
To begin with a comment you made saying “Saying I know you mean well..” Sounds a bit condescending. Actually I mean to be Biblically and Scripturally sound. In interpreting the Scriptures we should use the principles of Biblical exegesis and not be guilty of employing eisegesis (reading into the Scriptures one’s theological biases).
In regards to Acts 20:7, the breaking of bread does not necessarily mean partaking of the Lord’s supper. Usually, it refers to sharing a meal together as in Acts 2:42 and verse 46.
Now let’s look more closely at the context of Acts 20.
Let’s remember that the day begins at sundown (using today’s clock at 6pm.) Actually the koine Greek reads thus, ” now on the first when the disciples WERE GATHERED TOGETHER “.
The disciples did not begin their meeting in the evening, they were CONTINUING their meeting.
In fact, it became an all-night meeting interrupted by Eutychus falling out of a window and dying from his injury. Of course, you know that he was brought back to life; praise the Lord!!!
Now read carefully Acts 20: 11, “Now when he (Paul) had come up, HAD BROKEN BREAD AND EATEN, and talked a long while, EVEN UNTO DAYBREAK, he departed.”
It is obvious that the breaking of bread was about a meal, EATING TOGETHER!
Now a word about the Jerusalem council in Acts 15. There is not one word in the passage regarding any discussion or decision about the Sabbath. Read the letter! Acts 15:24-29. Not one word about the Sabbath or “the Lord’s Day”.
Best Regards,
David
regarding the Sabbath.
Hello David,
I apologize if my words, “I know you mean well” did not sit well with you.
Thank you for addressing the Lord’s Supper in Acts 20:7. You said it does not necessarily mean partaking of the Lord’s Supper but it could just be sharing a meal together as in Acts 2:42. The problem I see with your argument is that the church was forbidden from gathering together for a common meal (See 1 Corinthians 11:20-22, 33-34.) Common meals were eaten at home, assembly is for the Lord’s Supper. (Note that the gathering in Acts 20:7 took place in the Upper Room.)
Also, it says “Paul spoke to them and continued his MESSAGE until midnight.” What message? It sounds like he preached to them.
But again you failed to address Colossians 2:16-17 and could not give me a passage where Paul instructed the Gentile believers to strictly gather on the Sabbath.
Sure, there was no mention of Sabbath-keeping during the Jerusalem council and that’s why I said in my previous comment that if Sabbath-keeping was of uttermost importance, wouldn’t it make sense for James and the other church leaders to include it in the “necessary things” that Gentile believers should do (Acts 15:28-29)?
Furthermore, Paul says in Romans 14:5-6a, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.”
Paul did not quarrel with those who desire to set aside the Sabbath as a special day, as long as they do not require it for salvation or insist that other believers agree with them.
It seems like Paul does not care whether someone observes one day as special. He leaves it entirely up to one’s personal opinion. But if the Sabbath of the Old Testament were still in force, Paul could never say this, for the Old Testament makes incredibly strong statements about those who violate the Sabbath, and the death penalty is even required in some instances.
Let me say this again, the command in the OT to keep the Sabbath was all about the people RESTing from their labor. Sabbath means rest. Israel is to remember the rest day. In other words, “Don’t forget to take a day off.” And that is why Jesus said, “the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
Thanks again, David.
Godspeed …
Alice… as kindly as I can put this … you are lost in your own Wonderland in regards to the weekly Sabbath which is THE LORD’S DAY.
It is evident that after the information that DAN has so patiently given you is entirely lost on you. Your blindness is reminiscent of those to whom these words were spoken by Jesus, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” Luke 16:31
Shalom David,
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you read the entire article.
And if I have to say over a hundred times, I don’t mind because not once did I mention that Sunday (the Lord’s Day) has replaced Saturday as the Sabbath Day. I said that Sabbath, as practiced in the Old Testament, has nothing to do with worship and sacrifice. Rather, it’s about resting from labor.
The New Testament church headed by Peter and James did not gather on the seventh day for worship. They gathered on the first day of the week because the Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week. So, the Lord’s day is to celebrate Jesus’ victory over death. The Sabbath rest was for the Jews to rest from their labor.
You quoted Luke 16:31 which is part of the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In context, it talks about the reality of heaven and hell. I hope you’re not saying that Christians who do not practice the Sabbath will go to hell. I’m really glad that my salvation is not work-based or I will never make it to heaven. I have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
By the way, if Sabbath-keeping is essential to salvation, the apostle Paul should have included it every time he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, he said to the church in Colossae, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).
What is Paul saying here? A life that is centered on Jesus and what He did on the cross has no place for legalism. The Old Testament law had certain provisions that are done away with in Jesus, regarding such things as food and sabbaths. It isn’t that those laws were bad, simply that they were a shadow of things to come. Once the substance – Jesus Christ – has come, we don’t need the shadow anymore.
The point is clear: days and foods, as observed under the Mosaic Law, are not binding upon New Covenant people. The shadow has passed, the reality has come. So for the Christian, all foods are pure (1 Timothy 4:4-5) and all days belong to God.
Christians are therefore free to keep a kosher diet or to observe the sabbath if they please. There is nothing wrong with those things. However, they cannot think that eating kosher or sabbath observance makes them any closer to God, and they cannot judge another brother or sister who does not observe such laws.
Blessings!
Hello Alice,
Yes, I read your entire article AND Dan’s responses. A question for you: Did you read all of Dan’s responses to your article?
You mentioned the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The parable has nothing to do with Paradise or Gehenna. Go back to the beginning of Luke 15 for the CONTEXT of the parable which also includes the parable of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost older brother and Unjust Steward. All of these parables are Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees who clothed themselves in purple and fine linen, who were self-righteous and loved money.
The Pharisees were false shepherds (see Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34) who fared sumptuously and looked down upon Samaritans and Gentiles who were starving for lack of spiritual food and light.
Once again the parable of the rich man and Lazarus has nothing to do with ” the afterlife.” Now back to the Sabbath and the reference to the Book of Acts. Notice Acts 13:42. “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath…
Now if Paul and fellow believers were going to worship and fellowship the next day (the first day of the week) why didn’t Paul invite those Gentiles to join them.
Answer: no such meeting was going to occur the next day!!! Vs 44, ON THE NEXT SABBATH ALMOST THE WHOLE CITY CAME TOGETHER TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD!
Hi David,
Thanks for coming back.
I hear you very clearly. And yes, I read every word that Dan said, regardless of how long it was. By the way, I had to break it up into small paragraphs to make it easy on the eyes for other visitors.
You are absolutely right, Paul went to preach the Gospel to the Jews every Sabbath because that’s when they always gathered. They’re Jews; they strictly followed the Mosaic Law. It made sense for the Gentiles to ask Paul to preach to them on the next Sabbath because they knew Paul was reaching out to his fellowmen on the day that they always gather.
A very important note: Paul never told the Gentile Christians to live like Jews. It was actually the contrary. What did he say about the Jewish Christians telling Gentile believers that they needed to be circumcised? Why do you think the church leaders held the first Jerusalem Council?
Acts 15:28-29 gives the conclusion of the Jerusalem council regarding whether Gentiles needed to obey Jewish customs. It lists four items to follow, none of which is Sabbath-keeping. In Galatians 4:9-11 Paul calls the Jewish rituals “weak and miserable principles” for New Testament believers.
In Romans 14:4-5 he says some esteem certain days while others do not, and both are okay.
Imposing the practice of Sabbath-keeping today is like the Jewish believers telling the Gentile believers to be circumcised and to live like Jews. I don’t observe the Sabbath because I’m not under the Law and so are all Christians. I do observe Sunday because the early Christians did so to honor resurrection day.
There is nothing wrong with meeting on Saturday to worship. But please don’t judge me or try to enslave me with the Law. New Testament believers “are not under the Law.”
By the way, as I replied to one of the commenters, the command to observe the Sabbath is the only commandment that is not repeated anywhere else in the New Testament. If it is that important, Paul and the other church leaders should have strictly imposed it on the church that was mainly Gentile.
Regarding the Sabbath and Sunday, would you please be so kind and explain the following:
Geneva 1560 “But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”
King James “But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”
Does this not show that you have no regard for the authority of God? Think about your answer, as you know it is not me requiring the answer, as Jesus asked the question.
Please, save your self, save your congregation, and honor God and keep His Commandments.
Kind regards
Hi Hansie,
First of all, I want to thank you for visiting.
I hope you read the article in its entirety because I explained why I believe Christians today are not required to observe (or keep) the Old Testament Sabbath command.
And as I said, Sunday has never replaced the 7th day as Sabbath. After all, the Old Testament practice of Sabbath had nothing to do with worship and sacrifice. Rather, it was a command to rest from physical labor.
Sunday, on the other hand, is a day chosen by the New Testament followers of Jesus to gather together in fellowship because the Lord Jesus resurrected on a Sunday.
Gathering for worship on Sunday or any given day for that matter does not mean we are disregarding the commandment of God. By the way, I hope you are aware that Sabbath-keeping is the only commandment in the Ten Commandments that is nowhere repeated in the New Testament.
You may argue that Jesus kept the Sabbath. Of course, He did because as a Jew he had to. Interestingly, the Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath on the basis of added human traditions. I am afraid that is exactly what you are doing when you tell Christians today that they are breaking the Sabbath by going to church on Sundays or any day except Saturday.
Regarding the verse which you quoted (Matthew 15:3), I hope you realize that in context, Jesus rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees of their hypocrisy because they criticized the followers of Jesus for not washing their hands before eating bread while they (the Scribes and Pharisees) themselves disregarded the commandment to honor their parents.
It was just plain hypocrisy on the part of the legalistic Scribes and Pharisees. They were teaching man-made doctrines. Let me say this again, nowhere in the New Testament does it say that we need to keep the Sabbath and Sunday never replaced Saturday as Sabbath.
Since the command to keep the Sabbath in the Old Testament has something to do with resting on the 7th day, the true way for Christians to keep the Sabbath today is to rest in God and in His promises.
By the way, I thank God that my salvation is not based on my good works or obedience to God or else I’m forever doomed. That being said, I cannot save myself or anyone else, because we are saved by acknowledging that we are lost.
We are saved by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus who took the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. We are saved by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Must I keep God’s commands and obey Him? Of course! A truly born again Christian is a new creation and will strive to live according to the will of God. If we continue to Ephesians 2:10 it says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Shalom!
Sunday is NEVER called a Sabbath. Only the 7th Day of the Week is called the Sabbath and a time to rest. The other 6 days we are told to WORK and NOT to rest (Exodus 20:3-17).
Also, James tells us if we break one of God’s laws (The Ten Commandments) we break them all (James 2:10). We keep all the Ten Commandments BECAUSE WE LOVE JESUS and want to follow His example and we do this through FAITH in Him Alone.
Hello Roger,
Thank you for chiming in.
I’m glad we’re in complete agreement that Sunday is and was never called Sabbath because the Bible clearly says the Sabbath is the 7th day. And yes, Sabbath means REST, meaning, do not do any work.
I guess the part we do not agree on is if this commandment is still binding upon Christians today. I believe it is not. Why? Because if we are supposed to keep the Sabbath like the Old Testament saints did, it should have been repeated in the New Testament.
It is important to note that among the Ten Commandments, only the command on Sabbath-keeping is not repeated, while the other nine are summed up in the two greatest commandments (Mark 12:28-31 & Matthew 22:36-40).
You quoted James 2:10 but let us not forget that the reason Jesus came to suffer and die was that no one, I mean NO ONE, could and will ever be able to keep all the LAW. And speaking of the Law, it does not only include the Ten Commandments but 613 commandments in the Old Testament.
So if we really want to show Jesus that we love Him, let us keep the two greatest commandments and live a life that is pleasing unto Him.
Shalom!
Hi Alice and fellow Christians,
Thank you for this post, I believe that the truth of YHVH should be posted and declared all over the world.
If I may share my views. The truth about Christianity is that there are over 40,000 different Christian beliefs/ churches/doctrines all over the world. I am of the opinion that as soon as I/ we hear something being taught regarding YHVH’s word and it does not suit my lifestyle, my beliefs then I will look to contradict or change YHVH’s word till it suits me.
We read in 1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” So if YHVH is not the God of confusion, then who is and where is this confusion coming from and what is the purpose of confusion.
So let’s start with that question; what is the purpose of confusion, is it to steal the truth away from Christians, is it to cause division? John 10:10 teaches us that the thief comes to steal and we know the enemy Satan came to steal. Satan is the complete opposite of YHVH, so it is his purpose to lie, steal and destroy what ever YHVH has for us.
Another point I would like to make before I give my input on the matter of the Sabbath, is that, I claim that I am a Christian, and therefore I must understand what Christian means. To be a Christian is to be Christ like, that means I must say what Jesus said, I must do what Jesus did, I must love like Jesus loved, anything less than that, then I am living a lie.
Jesus says to His disciples in John 14:9 that if you have seen me then you have seen the Farther and in John 5:19 Jesus says “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” The word of YHVH is clear, Jesus did what His Father told Him to do and just like Jesus, so must you and I be.
So let me start. YHVH calls Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, never do I read that Moses is called to lead the Jews out of Egypt, but rather I read that the Israelites were led out of Egypt. The Israelites were also called Hebrews, why, because they spoke Hebrew, it’s like us calling a person who speaks French a Frenchmen or a person speaking German, a German.
As early in Genesis, Abraham was called a Hebrew, not because he was a Jew but because he spoke Hebrew. The Jewish nation would only come into existence much much later after when they wanted kings, and in the rule of king Solomon’s son YHVH divided the 12 tribes of Israel (not Jews) because of their idolatry and sinful lives, and He divided them into 2 nations namely the Northern tribe (10 tribes of Israel) also known as the House of Israel and the southern tribes (2 tribes, Benjamin and Judah) known as the House of Judah and the House of Judah became the Jews as we know it today. (Read 2 Kings)
So with this truth, let’s now look at what happens at Mount Sinai. YHVH calls Moses up to give him the 10 commandments, we read in Exodus 20:4 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”
YHVH gave these commandments including keeping of the Sabbath to Israel, to the descendants of Jacob who’s name was changed to Israel by YHVH. So the whole of Israel and everyone present, free and slave, Israelite and gentile, said then, that they will obey it, so you see the Sabbath commands was not given to the Jews because they did not exist then, it was given to Israel and everyone else, to the children of YHVH, it was given to you and me.
We are called to obey Sabbath. YHVH gave it to His children and as a sign that I am His child, I keep the Sabbath, not out of law, but out of love, because I am in LOVE with Father YHVH.
The commandment given to us as children of YHVH is love instructions, that is what the world should see when they look at you and me, 1 John 4:8b says YHVH is love, so let’s love like He loved and keep His commandments.
To see the commandments as laws and a chain that binds is totally wrong!!
Jesus says, if you love me keep my commandments, so are we stuck in religion or are we in relationship. Relationship teaches me to obey, relationship with Jesus teaches me to be like Him. He obeyed the Sabbath not because He was a Jew (yes He was) He obeyed the Sabbath because He was in relationship with His Father YHVH.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The word of YHVH consist of the Old Testament and the New Testament, not just what we want to read in the New Testament. My prayer is that we as the body of Christ would act like the body of Christ, say what He said, did what He did and live like He loved then there will be much less issues.
Jesus is our example to enter into relation with YHVH and not be stuck in religions.
Hello Francois,
I am in complete agreement with you that Jesus must be our example in entering into relationship with God the Father. And just to give this more emphasis, actually, Jesus is the only means through whom we can have a relationship with God (John 14:6).
We cannot come to the Father without first having a relationship with the Lord Jesus, for He is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
As you rightly pointed out, Christians are called Christians because they are followers of Christ. And to be followers of Christ we are to live our lives the way He lived His, that is, in complete and total obedience to the Father.
Now, in regards to keeping the Sabbath, one thing we need to understand here is that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Covenant Laws, including Sabbath keeping. Jesus Himself said that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17)
But which Law did Jesus come to fulfill and which ones are the New Covenant believers commanded to keep? I hope we both agree that the reason God made a new covenant with His people and rendered the old one obsolete is because no one, literally no one could fulfill them.
And if that’s the case, the atonement for our sins will never be complete. And if we are wondering which commandments we need to keep, we can always read the New Testament and any command in the OT that is not repeated are those that we do not have to do anymore.
Actually, I have said everything I needed to say in the article and in my replies to the commenters and I wouldn’t want to sound long-winded by saying them over and over again every time somebody with a different view reads and leaves a comment.
But I want you to know that I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and we can agree to disagree. I’m just curious as to whether you believe Christians who do not keep the Sabbath command are not really saved or that they are not true followers of Christ.
I hope you’d come back and let me know your stand. God bless!
Jesus sent His promised HOLY SPIRIT AND IT IS a COMMAND FROM HIM NOT TO LEAVE JERUSALEM UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE POWER FROM ABOVE AND THEN YOU WILL BE WITNESS FOR MY NAME TILL END OF THE EARTH AND JESUS NEVER SAID “KEEP SABBATH AND WAIT ON ME.”
IF HE SENT HIS HOLY SPIRIT ON DAY OF PENTECOST THEN DID HE BREAK THE LAW OF GOD? SO PLEASE SDA DO NOT FOOL PEOPLE OF GOD. SABBATH IS ONLY FOR JEWS TILL JESUS COMES …… THEY CAN BELIEVE HIM OR KEEP SABBATH IT IS UP TO THEM.
FOR BELIEVERS THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS.
Hello Markas,
Thank you for reading the article and leaving your thoughts, it’s much appreciated.
Keeping the Sabbath Law is indeed one of the issues that Christians do not agree on and on the part of the Sabbatarians , I believe they are very sincere in wanting to please God by strictly following this Law.
And that’s perfectly fine with me. They wanna worship on Saturday, go ahead. But for them to impose this on other believers and tell them that they are not saved, or that they’re not true followers of Christ or that they are going to hell because they worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, is totally unbiblical.
Because just like you, I also do not see any explicit command in the Bible telling Christians to observe it the same way the Jews do.
At the end of the day, as I always say, the basis of our salvation is our faith in God and in what the Lord Jesus has accomplished on the cross.
Much blessings!
The Sabbath and The Lord’s Day, people have different revelations and interpretation of this two. But it is clear that the two days are different. Whether one should worship on the Sabbath is another whole lot of debate. We all follow the same bible but get different interpretations but so long as we observe God’s word and respect each other’s beliefs then we will all leave harmoniously.
Hello Anita, thanks for stopping by.
You’re right; people claim to have different revelations with regards to the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day that is why they also have come up with different interpretations. But as you said, to worship on Saturday or Sunday or any day of the week is a choice. After all, what matters is we give at least one day to the Lord each week.
This is exactly my point towards the end of the article. After all, the day Christians choose to worship God and offer sacrifices to Him has no bearing on their salvation. We are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, not by works so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Blessings to you.
Great post and good info.
I never knew the difference, I’m catholic but not too much into it.
I’m sure my wife does, so I will show her this and believe me, I will get a good lesson from her.
I don’t know, it is off topic, but do you believe that after death you go to the heaven but you need to pass doors before they allow you?
Hi Emmanuel,
I like your name, very biblical. When Jesus was prophesied to come to earth and live with men, the Bible says He shall be called “Emmanuel,” meaning God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).
Going back to the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day, it’s very interesting that Sabbatarians always accuse the Roman Catholic church of changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. I’m not sure you’re aware of that. This of course is not true at all. The New Testament church started gathering on the first day of the week for prayer and worship.
In regards to your question about having to pass through doors before you can gain access to heaven. I would say that there is no biblical text to support this claim. If you are a Christian and you die, you will be immediately ushered into the presence of God in heaven. The only condition for one to enter heaven is to be “born again” (John 3:3-7).
God bless you!
I was always told that when you die you go to a waiting place until resurrection day then you will go to Heaven or Hell
Hello Rose,
Thank you for chiming in.
Believers who die will immediately enter into the presence of God. We see this clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when Paul says, “to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.”
At death, the body will remain in the grave while the soul and spirit will be in heaven with the Lord. Then at the resurrection, the Lord will bring with Him their soul (and spirit) to be reunited with their bodies. Please see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (you may want to read the entire chapter).
In the case of the wicked dead, they are kept in a temporary waiting place, called “hades” while waiting for the final judgment. You can refer to Revelation 20:11-15.
I hope this helps, shalom!
Hello Alice. Thank you for sharing this great article and insight with us.
I must confess that I really enjoyed reading through this article and research regarding The Sabbath Day and The Lord’s Day. This is what most people spend their time arguing about rather than serving God in spirit and in truth. I agree with you (you had biblical proofs). We are no longer under the law. The Sabbath day is a day for rest which is on Saturday while the Lord’s day is a major day of worship which is on Sunday. But in all these, we should worship God always.
Hey there, thanks for weighing in, I appreciate your thoughts regarding the Sabbath and the Lord’s day, one of the most hotly debated topics even among Christians. I actually received a comment so long that it almost looked like a commentary. Apparently, he was a Sabbatarian and he’s insisting that Christians today are obligated to observe the Sabbath the same way they did in the Old Testament.
But like I said, which you affirmed, Christians today are no longer under the law so we can worship God any day we choose. Because at the end of the day, what matters most to God is the attitude of our hearts when we come to church to worship Him.
God bless you!
Hello Alice,
I am happy to read your post here. The truth is there has been lots of debate on whether the sabbath is Saturday or Sunday. From the Scriptures, there is not supposed to be any work on the sabbath and it signifies a day for rest. Being that as it may, in seeking the truth about the scriptures I have always relied on the Holy spirit for directions.
I always draw strength from Jesus when He was accused of doing miracles on the sabbath and He replied that who among you will leave his sheep in the pit all because it was sabbath.
The truth was revealed that its is only the Holy spirit that can guide into all truth.
Thank you so much Olonisakin for your comment.
You’re right, there has been and are still are a lot of debates as to what day really is the Sabbath. Some say it’s Saturday because it’s what the Old Testament saints practiced while others say it’s on a Sunday because the New Testament church gathered on this day which is called the Lord’s Day.
Both sides are actually correct. However, I believe that instead of us getting divided up because of this disagreement, wouldn’t it be better if we respect one another’s conviction? After all, it’s the attitude of the heart that seeks to worship and commune with God on any given day that matters most to God.
As you said, even Jesus who is Lord of the Sabbath was accused of breaking the Sabbath Law and in response said that doing good on a Sabbath even when it is supposed to be a day of rest is commendable. Yes, the Holy Spirit is the only one who can guide us all into all truth, if we would just listen and be sensitive to His voice.
Shalom!
Hello Alice, great article.
Yes, you do give some relevant ideas on the whole idea of the Sabbath and Sunday. Ultimately, for me, I tend to be more “spiritual’ rather than religious, and I think the more important factor here is to just be present for the ‘higher being’ – whatever name you choose to give ‘it/him/her’.
I teach my daughter the importance of communicating with a ‘higher source’ and just having a sense of awareness that there is something ‘bigger/greater’ than us. It is all about respect in my books as well. I encourage her to have a ‘healthy’ appreciation for people, their cultures, and their customs. And more importantly, to be respectful of herself and then others.
Yes, in the long run – I don’t think it really matters – Sabbath or Sunday – it is how we treat each other and how we treat ourselves.
Namaste.
Michelle
Hey Michelle, thanks for your comment.
I get what your’re saying about being “spiritual” rather than “religious” because I also prefer the former. Being religious speaks more on the traditions that people like to do whereas being spiritual has more to do with one’s relationship with a “higher being” whom others call by other names but I call Him God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
You got the message I was trying to convey through this article on the Sabbath and Lord’s Day difference; that what matters most is the intent of the heart that seeks to commune with God no matter what day that maybe. Some people tend to be more legalistic which in some way has been causing division in the church of Jesus Christ.
So yeah, there is definitely a difference between the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day but because of the freedom that we have in Christ, we can choose to worship Him on any given day of the week. I wanna thank you also for pointing out another important aspect of living a life that pleases God, that is, treating others that way we treat ourselves.
Blessings!
Alice, it seems as if you are seeking truth. I would advise you to be honest with your search, ask God to send His Spirit to guide you into all truth.
Shalom and thank you for dropping by.
Yes, I have been seeking the truth and praise God I found it in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I mean, He found me first and has drawn me to Himself. As regards to the revealed, inspired Word of God, I am always after the truth and I continue to learn as I depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth.
Long before I decided to put up this website, I expected other Christians to have a different point of view, most especially when it comes to the topic of the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day. Admittedly, this is one topic that many Christians disagree on. Anyway, what I have said here is a product of my personal Bible study and research on the history of Christianity. I do not claim to be right in all my theology because let’s face it, even renowned Bible scholars and theologians do not always see eye to eye on minor biblical issues.
As you may have read in the comment section, there are those who agree with me that Sabbath keeping as practiced in the Old Testament is no longer binding to the believers today, but there are also those hold to the view that it still is. But let me just say that at the end of the day, what matters is if we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Blessings!
“Who would see Sabbath as a Day of Worship?”
God. He commanded Israel to “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” The rest was instituted in order to focus on God. The primary motive was to keep it holy. It was the day of weekly convocation (Lev 23.3) and double sacrifices were offered. It was God’s special day Isaiah 58.13,14.
God’s special day is now the first day to celebrate a greater work that He finished at Creation or through Moses. The finished work of Christ which gives rest.
We keep God’s special day holy imitating the character of God (Ephesians 5.1)
Soli Deo Gloria
Hello John,
Thank you for visiting and sharing your insight. You are absolutely right! God instituted the Sabbath for the nation of Israel to focus on Him and what He has done for them. God indeed blessed the 7th day and declared it “holy.” It was the day that He rested from His work of creating, not because He got tired. Instead, He sanctified it and took the time to enjoy the beauty of His creation.
But on the part of man, Jesus Himself said that He instituted the Sabbath for man and not man for the Sabbath. Sabbath means rest, so I believe it is seen today as a day to rest not just from our works but also to rest in the Lord. And yes, the finished work of Christ gives us not only rest but also comfort knowing that we have been forgiven of our sins and we will be spending eternity with God.
I’m not sure what you’re implying in the last part of your comment. Are you saying that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday? Because you referred to it as God’s special day in the Old Testament which is now the first day.
I’m saying that God has always had a special day as a reflection of His character and work. God’s day in the Old Testament was the seventh day. (Isaiah 53. 13,14. Notice the seventh day is called The LORD’S Day) In the New Testament it’s the First Day. (Rev 1.10 also called the Lord’s Day)
Hello John, thanks for coming back and clarifying what you said about God declaring a special day for His people to reflect on His works and character.
I stand by what I said that the Sabbath has not been changed from Saturday to Sunday as what some people claim. But I agree with you that Sunday today is generally considered to be God’s special day, especially because the most important event that gave rise to Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, took place on a Sunday. Most if not all churches today also gather in worship and fellowship on the first day of the week, the same way that the New Testament church did.
As regards to Revelation 1:10 where the term “Lord’s Day” is used only once in Scripture, there are disagreements on what John really meant. Some mistakenly assume that the Lord’s Day is the same as the “Day of the Lord.” Since John did not elaborate on the meaning of the Lord’s Day, we can assume that the first century Christians to whom he was writing understood exactly what he meant.
Bottom line is, the day of the week is not what matters. Rather, it’s the motivation of our heart behind that choice that’s important.
Shalom, God bless!
That’s beautiful.
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Leviticus 23:3
Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
Ezekiel 46:1
Praise Yahshua for truth!
These two verses show Sabbath is meant not only for rest but a holy assembly in the temple.
Why would the gate be closed at other times but not on Sabbath or a holy day?
Yahwehs ways and thoughts are higher than ours.
We should not question His word.
If He says rest on seventh day who are we to question Him?
And He is our Father who rested Himself on the seventh day.
If we are His children why wouldn’t we imitate Him?
Praise Yahshua for the Sabbath!
The Sabbath is certainly an old covenant law; it is part of the Ten Commandments, which in turn form the center of the old covenant. The Sabbath definitely give us not only physical but also spiritual benefits. But we need to understand that there are changes in the way the Sabbath is presented in the NT from the role it played in the OT.
Jesus did not argue with the Pharisees about whether to keep the Sabbath, but He certainly argued about how to keep it. There is a new covenant between God and His people. This new covenant is based on faith. We read nothing in the new covenant that says we are required to keep the Sabbath according to the rules of the old covenant.
We see examples of people keeping the Sabbath in the NT, and we see statements that tell us the Sabbath is a shadow pointing to the reality, who is Christ. That doesn’t mean that the Sabbath has been done away with. It just means that the Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. It means Christ is more important than the Sabbath. It means the Sabbath rest for Christians in Hebrews 4 is the new life in Christ, not just a day of the week. And Paul tells us in Romans 14 that we should not be involved in disputes over days.
Shalom and God bless!
And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
Numbers 28:9
Actually this verse shows there were sacrifices on this day so yes it is meant for worship as well.
Isn’t a sacrifice to Yahweh an act of worship?
Praise Yahshua for truth!
Hello again Alicia. I apologize for the delayed reply. And yeah, I agree with you, sacrifice is an act of worship to Yeshua. But we are not specifically commanded in the NT to sacrifice to God only on the 7th day of the week. I believe the problem here is not Sabbath keeping but the way this must be practiced and applied today for the NT believers. And by the way, if we are to be consistent, then I think we also have to follow all the commandments given in the Old Testament. I’m sure you are aware that the Law consists of 630 commandments, positive and negative.
Blessings!
Do not mix the mosaic law, written by Moses, with the 10 commandment law, written with the finger of God! By the way I” love your name, ALICE, nevertheless let’s continue. Also God speaking of Abraham said,. “Genesis 26:5 KJVS
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. When God said that there was no mosaic law, He was talking about the 10 commandments, which were imputed to Abraham when he believed God. Romans 4:11 KJVS
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 4:12 KJVS
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. Jesus said, ” If you love me keep my commandments”Jn 14:15,21,23. The New covenant is, Hebrews 8:10 KJVS
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Hebrews 10:16 KJVS
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; the only thing that was nailed to the cross was our sins because the law of God is a transcript of His character!!! The mosaic law of animal sacrifices was done away with bc type meeting anti-type was completed on the cross!!!
Therefore, we don’t have to stay animals Hebrews 9:12 KJVS
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us .
There is so much more to say than time and space will permit. But I say unto all that read this, read the Word of God in Spirit and Truth, ask and it will be given unto you!
Alice, you are a child of the Jesuit’s/ Antichrist system!!!
Repent before it’s too late.
May Jesus Christ, The Lord of the Sabbath, Heb. 4; James 2:10; Mark : 27,28;
Revelation 22:14 KJVS
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Amen!
Hi Maria,
First I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my post on the difference between the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day. I did expect to be criticized for taking a different view regarding this matter and that’s okay. After all, our salvation does not rest on whether or not we choose to keep the Sabbath the same way they did in the Old Testament. Our salvation rests on the finished works of Christ on the cross.
It is by grace we have been saved, not by keeping the Old Testament Law. Because if we can earn our salvation by the keeping of Laws, why did Jesus have to come in the flesh, live a humble life of complete obedience to the Father, and suffer and die on the cross? The fact of the matter is, no one, literally no one, can keep the entire Law and that is why God made a new covenant, a better covenant.
And just to let you know, there are so many Jews who have come to the saving knowledge of Christ. They have acknowledged and accepted Yeshua as their Messiah. They call themselves Messianic Jews. Interestingly, not a single one of them teaches that Christians must keep the Sabbath Law in order to gain access to the tree of life.
It’s one thing to disagree with other Christians in as far as minor theology is concerned. But accusing them as children of the Antichrist system or the Jesuits, (whatever that means) just because they hold to a different view from yours with regards to Sabbath keeping, is a completely different thing. I’m not sure if you know what it really means to be a child of the Antichrist.
The term antichrist simply means “against Christ.” John the elder said an antichrist is someone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, denies Jesus and the Father, does not acknowledge Jesus and denies that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:3; 2 John 1:7). How can you call a believer and follower of Jesus Christ a child of the Antichrist???
Anyway, that’s your opinion. At the end of the day, what matters is if we have as individuals accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation by acknowledging that we are sinners in need of saving. I know that no amount of good works on my part would earn me a place in heaven for it is only by the grace of God that I am able to say with confidence that I am a child of God.
John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” I am a child of God because I confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior and have put my trust in Him. Have you?
If you believe you need to keep the Sabbath Law in order to gain access to heaven, then that’s up to you. But if you really want to observe the Sabbath, you better do it in the exact same way that Jews who practice Judaism do.
Here are the Scriptures that talk about what you should and shouldn’t do on the Sabbath: Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:12-14; Exodus 16:23; Exodus 16:29; Exodus 31:14-15; Numbers 15:32-36; Exodus 35:2
Based on these passages, are you really keeping the Sabbath?
And if keeping the Sabbath is essential to our salvation, why didn’t the apostle Paul preach about it every time he presented the Gospel? And if it is only the Sabbatarians who will make it to heaven, what will happen to the millions of believers in Jesus Christ all around the world who worship on other days and not Saturdays? Will they end up in hell?
All I can say is that, Jesus is returning very soon. In fact, He could be returning at any day and time now. I pray that you will be enlightened so you will see how a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and having the seal of the Holy Spirit is what matters. Of course, good works that include obedience to God’s commands is important as proof of a genuine faith.
But to say that Christians who do not keep the Sabbath Law need to repent or they are headed to hell — that’s very disheartening to hear from someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
Shalom!
Matthew 5:17-20 King James Version (KJV)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Praise Yahshua for truth!
Please read this article it’s really thorough and scriptural.
Pray and ask Yahweh to reveal to you the truth.
I am so thankful He showed me His truths.
And it is a blessing to obey the word about the Sabbath.
http://www.eliyah.com/85times.html
Shalom Alicia,
Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it. I am aware that many Christians have differing views regarding Sabbath-keeping. Many Christians have a lot of questions and it just makes sense that they want answers. Are Christians commanded to strictly follow the Law of keeping the Sabbath? What if I am not able to because of my job, should I quit and find another one? Will I be condemned to hell because I cannot keep the Sabbath?
I am not in anyway disregarding the Old Testament and I am not saying that the commandments given in the OT are only for the Jews. However, we have to acknowledge that there are a lot of commandments in the Old Covenant that are not applicable to the Christians today, not even to the followers of Christ during His earthly ministry. The Pharisees who were very keen on keeping the Law were often in conflict with Jesus because of their hypocrisy.
Jesus did say that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, but what exactly did He mean by this? What Law was Jesus referring to? We must understand that the Old Testament Laws are categorized into the Ceremonial, Moral and Judicial Laws. While I do not claim to know and understand everything that’s written in the Bible, I believe that Jesus has already fulfilled the Law and we are no longer bound by the Law. Instead, we are under the Law of Christ, we are under grace. After all, we are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I believe that what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 5:18 are the things God has set since the beginning to happen that were not yet fulfilled. Isn’t Jesus’ coming in the flesh to redeem the world a fulfillment of so many Old Testament prophecies? God isn’t finished yet because a lot of Bible prophecies are yet to be fulfilled.
And one more thing, if Sabbath observance is really that significant and has any bearing to one’s salvation, why didn’t Jesus’ disciples like Peter, James and Paul who were three of the leaders of the Jerusalem movement include it every time they preached the Gospel? In fact, the apostle Paul even rebuked those who were teaching that following the Law and observing feasts could somehow add anything to what Jesus has already accomplished.
I have nothing against those who choose to strictly follow Sabbath observance but I honestly believe that also God honors the heart of those who worship Him on any day, not just on a Saturday. After all, Sabbath means rest, not Saturday.
God bless you!
Thank you for this article. I want to make a commentary but is not meant to criticize or be judgmental. Rather, it is to be educational. Perhaps no one can claim that he/she had discovered all the truths in the Bible. It can require careful, diligent study, such as the Bereans did to come to a fuller understanding of biblical truth; or someone explaining other truths as yet undiscovered.
Even during the time of Jesus and the apostles, many of the believers did not have a complete understanding of the truth. For example: Jesus had to explain to the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus the nature and suffering of the Messiah for as yet they did not fully understand. (Luke 24:13-27).
Another example is in Acts 19: the “converts” of Apollos were taught only about the baptism of John (the Baptist). They have not heard about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And when Paul explained to them that they should believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were (re)baptized. To learn and discover new truth and practice them is the essence of a humble, honest and sincere Christian. I believe the author is honest and sincere in his/her belief. We can both agree or disagree but we remain respectful and polite Christians. If anyone would be offended by my comments, I apologize because that is not my intention. I’ll be quoting from the NKJV. I will analyze the article paragraph by paragraph:
ARTICLE: While Sunday is the traditional day of worship for Christians, many still remain uncomfortable over the issue of the Sabbath day. This is due to a common error that Sabbath was the day of worship. Groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists hold that God requires the church service to be held on the Sabbath day which is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. But is that really what the Sabbath command was?
COMMENT: Contrary to the “error” assertion, the Sabbath day is not only a day for cessation of work or rest but also the day of worship that God has designated. The traditional Sunday worship for Christians is just that- from human tradition and not supported by scripture.
ARTICLE: The word “Sabbath” comes from a Hebrew verb which means “to cease, stop, rest and to come to an end.” Based on this definition of the word, the Sabbath Day was a day “to cease from work.” The institution of the Sabbath had its origin in Genesis 2:2-3 which states that on the seventh day God rested after finishing His work of creation; God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work.
COMMENT: This is a correct definition of Sabbath. Take note however that the article affirms that “the institution of the Sabbath had its origin in Genesis 2:2-3”, (which is true) but the following paragraph denies that “the seventh day was not even called Sabbath.”
ARTICLE: “The important thing to note here is that no commandment is made in this text. Although God rested and observed the Sabbath, nothing is said about Sabbath observance and worship. The seventh day isn’t even called the Sabbath but is differentiated and set apart (sanctified) from the other six creation days. God designed that the seventh day would be a special memorial to His creation and its original perfection.”
COMMENT: It is true that there is no (written) commandment in Genesis 2:2-3 to observe the Sabbath. There is no written law either of the other nine. But the principles of the LAW as embodied in the Ten Commandments were in place in the book of Genesis. How do we know? “Where there is no law there is no sin” (Rom. 4:15).
To give just a few examples: Cain murdered his brother- transgression of the 6th commandment; Joseph refused to commit adultery- in keeping with the 8th commandment; Jacob commanding his household to put away foreign gods- 2nd commandment; it was wrong for Rachel to steal her father’s idols-8th commandment; the people before the flood were destroyed because of wickedness-possibly breaking all ten commandments. “…Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” (Gen. 26:5)
The Law was already in place, but not yet written. What “My Laws” did Abraham obey? Based on the examples cited, one need not wonder that “MY LAWS” refer to none other than the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments. Since the Sabbath commandment (the 4th commandment) is part and parcel of the Decalogue, why is it hard to believe that it was there all along with the other nine, and is one of the “MY LAWS”.
Now take note of the second sentence: Although God rested and observed the Sabbath (true), nothing is said about observance and worship. If God rested and observed the Sabbath, is there a question if He said nothing about it or not; He was already resting and observing it. And with only Adam and Eve present at that time, in a perfect creation and environment that God pronounced Very Good, one cannot imagine our first parents not joining their creator in resting and observing that first Sabbath.
The article partially defines the word sanctify as: to differentiate and set apart from the other six creation days. To sanctify not only means to differentiate or set apart from the other six creation days. Sanctify also means to make/declare holy, hallow, make sacred, set apart as sacred. (Take note: ONLY the 7th day was sanctified and no other day). If the 7th day was made/declared Holy, set apart as Holy, made sacred, Hallowed, the element of worship is too obvious to miss.
Why would man not worship a Holy God on the Holy Day that He had sanctified. Man is a created being who worships his creator. Genesis gives examples of people worshiping. (Gen. 24:26,48,52). Cain and Abel brought their offering- an act of worship. Even Pagans worship gods. Many well-meaning Christians (and even this article) go on to say that they worship any day or every day of the week. But they find it hard to believe that on that very first Sabbath there was no observance of it or worship.
Indeed God rested from all His work on the 7th day, not because He was weary (Isa, 40:28); and He gives the reason why His people should rest likewise. He gives it in the 4th Commandment. “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Ex. 20:11).
ARTICLE: The Sabbath was not given to man till 2500 years later in Exodus 20:8-10. Throughout the book of Genesis there is no record of any Sabbath observance on the part of men, no mention of Sabbath being a day of worship. There is no record that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or Joseph and the other patriarchs observed the Sabbath. Even after the flood when God gave some commands to Noah and his sons (Genesis 9), nothing is said about Sabbath observance.
COMMENT: “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and-his offering” (Gen. 4:3-4).
Adam Clarke Commentary on the LITERAL TRANSLATION OF MOSES’ HEBREW:
“And at the climax of [the cycle of] days [wayihi miqqets yammim, i.e., at the end of the week or on the Sabbath day] it happened that Cain brought an offering to YHWH from the fruit of the ground. And Abel brought, he also, from the firstlings of his flocks, even from their fat. And YHWH looked to Abel and to his offering” (Gen. 4:3-4, literal translation of Moses’ Hebrew)
This commentary has been posted by some as evidence of Sabbath observance by Cain and AbeL, and by extension the first human family. The fact that they brought an offering certainly constituted an act of worship. This MAY OR MAY NOT BE valid proof of Sabbath worship, but since a Holy Day / Sanctified Day was in place, the probability exists that the offering was brought on the Sabbath day. {I thought to mention it here only for information}
ARTICLE: The first mention of Sabbath in some significant way is in Exodus 16:22-26 when God feeds the people manna from heaven as they wander in the wilderness, and manna comes every day except the Sabbath day. God was preparing His people for the Sabbath command they would soon be given. Because in the 20th chapter of Exodus, God gave the Ten Commandments and in it the law for the Sabbath day has been given for the first time (Exodus 20:8-11). Israel was to treat the seventh day as holy because God had done so, and had declared it to be so.
COMMENT: Is it true that the manna incident was to prepare the Israelites for the GIVING of the law? When some people went out on the Sabbath and found none, notice what God said: “And the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the on the Seventh day”. (Ex. 16:28-30).
Notice “MY COMMANDMENTS AND MY LAWS”- exactly the same language that Abraham obeyed “MY COMMANDMENTS… AND MY LAWS”. What commandments (plural) and what Laws (plural) was God talking about? It says “For the Lord has given you the Sabbath” (singular). This verse makes it VERY CLEAR the SABBATH LAW and the other nine laws were already in existence prior to Ex. 20 (although not yet written). The lesson of the manna incident was not to prepare the people for the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. The law was already in existence prior, but it was forgotten during their 400 years of slavery and bondage in Egypt. And this is why the Sabbath commandment begins with the word REMEMBER.
ARTICLE: The fourth commandment is not just a requirement to keep the Sabbath but more of an instruction to keep the Sabbath holy (Exodus 16:23; 20:8). Because God designated and declared the Sabbath day as a holy day, keeping it involves much more than abstinence from labor; it requires acknowledging it as a sacred and sanctified day because of God’s deeds and declaration
COMMENT: Indeed the fourth commandment is a COMMANDMENT that God wants us to obey. Jesus said “If you love me keep my Commandments”. (John 14:15). No one disputes that the word KEEP in this verse means OBEY. When God commands, He requires us to obey. When the command carries with it an instruction, we are to follow the instruction and obey.
No question about this: “keeping the Sabbath involves much more than abstinence from labor; it requires acknowledging it as a sacred and sanctified day…” How does one acknowledge the Sabbath as sacred and sanctified? Lev 23:3? “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.” Convocation means Assembly. Holy Convocation means Holy Assembly. God’s people do not go to a Holy Assemble/Convocation on the Holy Sabbath day to do anything but worship. So God’s people not only abstains from labor but assembles for corporate worship.
ARTICLE: It also instructs each Israelite to plan and to finish his week’s work by the Sabbath. It deals with the problem of men not wishing to stop what they’re doing because they have not finished by instructing them to plan to finish by the end of the sixth day, and to see to it that they do finish.
COMMENT: The sixth day of the week (Friday) is called Day of Preparation or Preparation Day. “That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near” (Luke 23:54}. “Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath” (Mark 15:42). Preparation day is when all mundane and secular work should have been finished and put aside in anticipation for resting and observing the Sabbath. The idea is to lay aside all worldly concerns and be able to focus in worshiping the Sabbath giver.
ARTICLE: What’s the punishment for Sabbath-breakers? Death! Anyone who breaks the Sabbath is to be put to death (Exodus 31:14; 35:2). In Numbers 15:32-36 we read of the man who was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath to build fire and was stoned to death. (See also Exodus 35:2-3.) This tells us how serious God is about Sabbath-keeping.
COMMENT: Indeed, God is serious about Sabbath keeping or Sabbath-breaking. Big wonder why some Christians refuse or neglect to honor the day that God commanded to rest.
ARTICLE: In the New Testament, Revelation 1:10 is the only verse which refers to Sunday as “the Lord’s Day,” However, it is noteworthy that the apostolic Church kept Sunday, the Lord’s day, as a day of fellowship and worship (Acts 20:7). But why Sunday and why is it called the Lord’s day? Because Sunday, the first day of the week, was when Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:9).
COMMENT: One can read Rev. 1:10 a thousand times, he will never find any inkling that the verse refers to Sunday as the Lord’s Day. That is just an ASSUMPTION by many Sunday-keeping Christians. On the contrary, Mark 2:28 states that the Son of Man (Jesus) is Lord of the Sabbath. If Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, then the Lord’s Day is the Sabbath, not Sunday.
Ex. 20:10 of the 4th Commandment says ”but the Seventh day is the SABBATH OF THE LORD YOUR GOD…”. In Isa. 58:13 God calls the Sabbath “My Holy Day. CALLING SUNDAY, the first day of the week, as LORD’S DAY because it is the day when Jesus rose from the dead, has Zero biblical proof. The text cited (Mark 16:9) only states the fact that Jesus rose early on the first day of the week. It never mentions that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. We can also add Matt 28:1, Luke 24:1; John 20:1, all mentioning the first day of the week. NONE of these verses indicate that Sunday has become the Lord’s Day. On the contrary, the preceding verses clearly indicate that the Sabbath day (7th day) came before the first day (resurrection day).
Acts 20:7 is cited as proof that the apostolic church kept Sunday as the Lord’s Day, the day of fellowship and worship. First of all, this article claims that Sunday, an unsanctified day, is a day for fellowship and worship, but denies that the Sabbath, the day that God sanctified and hallowed, is not a day for fellowship and worship. How ironic!
Secondly, this gathering in Acts 20:7 occurred at night. The Good News Translation translates “On Saturday Evening…” Biblical day is reckoned from sunset to sunset, therefore this gathering occurred on the night portion of the first day of the week (Saturday night by our modern reckoning). The most likely scenario is that the believers had observed the Sabbath on Saturday morning and continued the service until Saturday night because Paul was leaving the following morning (Sunday).
(Read also the context verses 7-15). If the first day of the week had now been the day of worship (which must necessitate it to be holy), it is inconceivable that Paul would walk from Troas to Assos on the day part of Sunday. Besides see the following texts that show that the early Christians worshipped on the Sabbath, not on Sunday (first day of the week): (Acts 13:14,42,44; 15:21; 17:2; 18:4). Notice Acts 16:13 “And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there”.
There was no synagogue or church building but still they kept the Sabbath. And take special note: PRAYER was customarily made. If this is not fellowship and worship on the Sabbath, as denied by this article, then what is fellowship and worship? Take note specially 17:2 where it says that it was Paul’s custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Paul does not go to the Synagogue on Sabbath to do other things but worship. Would he all of a sudden in 20:7 abandon his custom of going to the synagogue on the Sabbath in favor of Sunday keeping? Note also that 20:7 says that the disciples came together to break bread.
In Acts 2:46 the disciples were breaking bread DAILY. The breaking of bread, whether for communal meal or convocation, does not make the day Sanctified or Holy. God has already sanctified the Sabbath way back on creation week. This incident was recorded presumably because of the miraculous resurrection of Euthycus. Only God can pronounce something holy for He alone is Holy. (Rev 15:4). Nowhere in the Bible does God sanctifies the first day of the week- on the contrary he sanctified one and only day, that is the 7th day.
ARTICLE: Beginning with the first resurrection Sunday, the Lord Jesus seemed to “train” His disciples to gather together on the first day of the week. Since that time, believers have gathered on the first day of the week to celebrate His victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 16:2). Also, the Church was born at Pentecost which fell on a Sunday, fifty days after Christ rose from the dead.
COMMENT: John 20:19 “…being the first day of the week…the disciple were assembled…” For what reason? Train the disciples…? No. Jesus could have told them of the change before His death, but He said nothing. They gathered “for fear of the Jews”. Some of them didn’t even believe yet that Jesus was resurrected. “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:26,27). Eight days after (Monday) Jesus appeared to them again, to convince doubting Thomas that Jesus was indeed resurrected.
1 Cor. 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come”. There is no mention or implication that there is an assembly or worship here. Paul is saying: set aside your gift (possibly money) (for donation to the believers in Jerusalem). Set aside where? “storing up”-not in the synagogue but in their homes. This passage does not say anything about worship on the first day. The believers were to set aside their donations, privately at home. Jews did not handle money on the Sabbath, (if it is assumed that the first day has become the Sabbath) and especially during worship.
Pentecost falling on Sunday (debatable) does not invalidate the Sabbath command nor sanction Sunday observance because there is no biblical injunction.
ARTICLE: There is no verse in the Bible that commands believers to worship on the first day of the week but we do this simply because this has been the practice of Christians from the very beginning, based upon the life-changing fact of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The early Christians continued to meet regularly on the first day of the week, not on the Sabbath (Saturday).
COMMENT: Only the first half of the first sentence is correct. “There is no verse in the Bible that commands believers to worship on the first day of the week”. The second part is partly true. (but we do this simply because this has been the practice of Christians from the very beginning) Sunday keepers observe Sunday because of TRADITION. The apostolic Christians consistently observed the Sabbath, but later APOTASY occurred and many Christians began to worship on the first day of the week. The last sentence is absolutely false, as shown with the Texts above.
It was inconceivable for the first Christians, who were Jews, to abandon the Sabbath. Many of them were even reluctant to abandon the Law of Moses (different from the Law of God- see explanation later), i.e. circumcision, and ceremonial laws that pointed to the coming Messiah. The apostolic Christians continued to meet NOT on the first day of the week, but on the Sabbath (Saturday). The resurrection- day-reason for Sunday keeping came only much later to rationalize the false day of worship.
ARTICLE: Contrary to the claim of many Sabbatarians that Sunday worship was not instituted until the fourth century, the early church fathers, from Ignatius to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship (See “From Sabbath to Lord’s Day” by D.A. Carson for further study).
No one, not even the church fathers, nor Ignatius nor Augustine, not even the disciples could abolish or teach to abolish the Sabbath Command. Even God would not abolish the Sabbath command along with the other nine. If the law could be abolished there was no need for Christ to die. Since transgression of the law required the death of the transgressor (sinner), God could have abolished the law so there would have been no reason for Jesus to die for the sinner. But because the law is immutable, we thank Jesus for taking the penalty of sin for us.
D.A Carson’s “From Sabbath to the Lord’s day” title alone is already misleading, because the Sabbath is the Lord’s day and not Sunday.
Further Study: From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity by Samuele Bacchiocchi
ARTICLE: Sunday has never replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. The Sabbath day that the Bible speaks about in Exodus 20:8-11 has nothing to do with worship and sacrifice. The Sabbath command was to do no work on the Sabbath day and nowhere in Scripture is the Sabbath day commanded to be the day of worship.
COMMENT: Only the first sentence is correct, but presented somewhat in a subtle way. Because it is denied that Sunday has replaced Saturday as the Sabbath, therefore there is reason to deny that the Sabbath command has nothing to do with worship and sacrifice. Lev. 23:3 has already been cited as proof of Sabbath worship. The question to ask is: Do Sunday keepers cease from work on the Sabbath and keep it Holy?
Isa. 66:22-23 “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD “so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to WORSHIP before Me,” says the LORD.
“Here is the patience of the Saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”. Rev. 14:12. God’s end time people will be known as commandment keepers, including Sabbath keeping.
Worship on Sabbath began at creation, was observed during the OT times, was observed by Jesus and the disciples, and will be observed in the new heaven and new earth.
ARTICLE: The Lord’s Day is not a direct counterpart to the Jewish Sabbath and the Sabbath day was not changed from the seventh day to the first day. “Sunday is not the Christian Sabbath” and it’s not biblically correct to refer to Sunday as the Sabbath because nowhere in Scripture is the first day of the week referred to as the Sabbath.
COMMENT: This paragraph is a corruption of truth and error and is misleading. The Lord’s Day as pointed out is NOT Sunday. The Lord’s Day is the Sabbath (Saturday) because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Truly, Sunday (false lord’s day) is not a counterpart of the Sabbath. And the Sabbath is not Jewish- it was made for man/mankind. Of the Ten Commandments, the devil hates the most the Sabbath Commandment, because it (Sabbath commandment) establishes God’s sovereignty as creator, and he (the devil) wants to usurp that sovereignty. He also does this through the Theory of Evolution with its amoral emphasis.
The Catholic Church claims that it had transferred the solemnity from the Sabbath to Sunday, making Sunday as the new Sabbath. Sunday-keeping Protestants had followed the tradition. To justify this claim, the reason given is “in honor of the resurrection”. Running out of alibi, the claim is now “Sunday is not referred to as the Sabbath”.
In the Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, we read:
Question: Which is the Sabbath day?
Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea, (336 A.D.) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.
Question: Why did the Catholic Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
Answer: The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday, because Christ rose from the dead on [Easter] Sunday, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles on a [Pentecost] Sunday. Question: By what authority did the Church substitute Sunday for Saturday? Answer: The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon Her! (Rev. Peter Geiermann, C.SS.R., (1946), p. 50)
ARTICLE: While the Lord’s day is the day of sacrifice, worship and fellowship, the Old Testament Sabbath as mentioned earlier was a day of rest; it was a day when beasts of burden, slaves and humans all rested. It was not associated with temple attendance or any religious observance.
COMMENT: This issue was already addressed above (Holy convocation/assembly on Sabbath). Again Lord’s Day is the Sabbath, not Sunday. But now let me address the last sentence more fully.
To claim that the Old Testament Sabbath was not associated with temple attendance or any religious observance is outright incorrect. Besides Lev. 23:3, which talks about convocation or assembly on the 7th day Sabbath, (which definitely is a religious observance) the following questions beg to be asked:
If the Israelites did not worship on Sabbath as alleged, what were they doing during the Holy Convocation or Holy Assembly on the Sabbath? It is INCONCEIVABLE that the Israelites DID NOT WORSHIP AT ALL. They may even have worshipped every day just like some Sunday-keeping Christians who claim that they may worship all day or any day of the week. The Israelites, as God’s people, were called out of Egypt to worship. The first commandment states:
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
“Having other gods” imply worship of a deity other than God. The command therefore to NOT have other gods (worship other gods) cannot be mistaken as an injunction to worship the true God. God is saying “I am the Lord your God…” worship me, do not worship other gods.
So on what day did the Israelites worship God? We may/can assume that they worshiped God all the days of the week, but there is a special sanctified day commanded them to keep Holy. Would they just then cease from work and not worship on the Holy Sabbath Day?
The second states: “…you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,” Bowing to a graven image is a forbidden form of worship because graven images are false gods. God is saying: bow down only to me, because I am a jealous God. Clearly the Israelites were called to worship the true God. So again, did they keep the Sabbath day only for the purpose of ceasing from labor, but not worship? The clear implication is they worshiped on the Sabbath day.
The fourth commandment therefore that says “Remember the Sabbath day to KEEP it holy” is not only an injunction to cease from labor, but also to worship on that particular day. To say that KEEPING the Sabbath day holy is not associated with worship or religious observance (activity) is unbelievable. When God rested from all His labor on the 7th day of creation week, He not only ceased from labor, but designated that day for worship (obviously for the first couple and for all mankind afterwards). Otherwise why would God Sanctify, (set aside for a holy purpose) (set apart as sacred) (hallow) a day if it was only for resting and ceasing from labor? There was no need for God to sanctify the 7th day if the purpose was only for resting, since God was not weary when He rested.
ARTICLE: While some assume that the Lord’s Day in the New Testament is the equivalent of the Sabbath, the Sabbath was given to Israel as a sign of their covenant with God (Exodus 31:13, 17). It was a perpetual reminder to Israel of their separation unto God. Their keeping of the Sabbath would help distinguish them from the heathen (other nations) around them. The Sabbath day was also instituted by God for the nation of Israel to commemorate His deliverance of them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15).
COMMENT: On pain of being redundant, let it be said again that Sunday is not the Lord’s Day. “The Son of Man (Jesus) is LORD OF THE SABBATH”.
Truly the Sabbath is a SIGN for God’s covenant people that it is God who sanctifies them. God’s covenant people in the OT is Israel. In the NT and in the New Covenant God’s people are His church (Christians). Since the Sabbath sign is “perpetual”, and the Sabbath is not only for the Jews, but was “made for man”, it follows that the Sabbath is STILL the sign for Christians that it is God who sanctifies them. Those who refuse the Sabbath sign, and are following man’s tradition of Sunday-keeping, are refusing to be sanctified.
Ex. 31: 16,17 also states that the Sabbath is a sign of God’s creatorship. “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed”. The Sabbath distinguishes the true CREATOR GOD from false gods (that cannot create). Is it a sign for Israel only? Yes, and more; because Christians (Jewish or Gentile, specifically gentiles) who were grafted into God’s family, (see Romans 11:17,24), are the so-called spiritual Israel. “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29.
When we keep God’s Sabbath, we are acknowledging that He is our Creator and we are His creatures.
The Sabbath is also a sign of God’s deliverance of His people out the bondage and slavery from Egypt. God’s people were not only in physical bondage but spiritually as well. They were in bondage to sin. The Sabbath therefore is a sign that God is the deliverer from sin. Are Jews the only ones that need deliverance from sin? “ALL have sinned…” All need deliverance from Sin. Christians who refuse the Sabbath sign (by refusing to honor and obey the Sabbath command) are refusing to be delivered from Sin.
ARTICLE: Sunday has not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Rather, the Lord’s day is a time for believers to gather and commemorate Jesus’ resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week.
COMMENT: This is a tricky and misleading argument. True, Sunday has not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. But for believers to gather (implying worship) on the false lord’s day (Sunday) to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection, is unbiblical, and based only on human tradition.
ARTICLE: Although God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, that does not mean that He requires all of His people to rest on it. Because if He did then we should by all means keep it, even if we have to adjust our work schedules and sacrifice our time with our families. If the effect on our lives is so great, we have to make sure we’re getting this right according to what God really commands. Is the command clear enough to require Christians to lose their jobs and suffer financially? Because if God does not require the Sabbath, then it would be wrong to put this unnecessary burden on anyone.
COMMENTS: What a contradiction to God’s explicit command! One reason why this article has to be addressed piece by piece is the misleading explanations, combining truth with error. If the fourth commandment was not meant for ALL of God’s people, then it follows that the other nine commandments do not apply for all either. But that is not what Sunday-keepers really mean because they follow and obey the other nine and refuse to obey the fourth.
God gave the Sabbath as a blessing for His people.(Isa. 56:2)
Sabbath keeping is a delight instead of a burden. If all Christians would follow/obey God’s command, God will supply all their Need (Phil, 4:19), and not be worried about being disadvantaged because Sabbath Keeping is also an act of faith. Millions of Sabbath keepers around the world can attest to this promise.
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isa. 58:13,14
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). The Royal Law that James refers to is none other than the Ten Commandments, since he gave as examples the 6th and 8th commandments.
The penalty for breaking even one of the commandments is a dire warning in v.12. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”
ARTICLE: Some may argue that Jesus and the first Jewish Christians kept the Sabbath (Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14, 17:1-2, 18:1-4) so we must do the same. We have to understand that Jesus was born under the law so He kept all the Jewish laws and kept them perfectly. But Jesus rejected a strict legalistic interpretation of the Old Testament commandment. He said Sabbath observance was not a duty that mankind owed to God. Rather, the Sabbath was made by God as a day of rest for man (Mark 2:27).
COMMENT: If Jesus is our example, then we should follow Him.
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law”. (Gal. 4:4) What does born under the law mean? A careful study of the book of Galatians would reveal that it means “under the CURSE of the law”. (Gal. 3:13) Christ bore our sins, He became a substitute for the sinner. The curse of the law (see Lev. 26:14-39 and Deut. 27:11-26) that we deserve fell on Him.
By “Jewish laws” I assume that the author of this article refers to the 613 laws added by post-exilic Jews to regulate Sabbath OBSERVANCE. These laws made the observance of the Sabbath legalistic. This is what Jesus rejected, the legalistic observance, but the identity of the Sabbath day was never in question. Jesus said “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”. Jesus also affirmed the perpetuity of the law (Matt. 5:17-19). And to make no doubt that he referred to the Decalogue, he gave examples (even expanding the meaning of the law) (v. 21 ff). Now, some may argue that Jesus came to FULFILL the law so that we no longer have to obey it. Isn’t that absurd?
Can we now go on committing adultery, stealing, lying, coveting, taking the Lord’s name in vain, worship idols, because Jesus fulfilled the law? Sunday-keepers would say No, we should keep the Nine but not the 4th.
Did Jesus say that Sabbath observance is NOT a duty for man/mankind? “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”. (Ecc. 12:13). And note the judgment warning in the following verse. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
Now, what does Mark 2:27 mean? “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath”? The preceding verses (v. 21-26) give the clue. The traditions and legal requirements regarding Sabbath KEEPING (613 Jewish laws) had expanded by the first century to emphasize the mechanics of observing the day. In the process, the purpose of the Sabbath had been lost- which is for the spiritual and physical restoration of the people. Instead, the Sabbath became a burden. Jesus wished to recapture the joyful (delight) dimension of the Sabbath as God’s gift to His children. The passage also teaches that the Sabbath was not only a Jewish institution but one for all humanity.
On the other hand if the author refers to Moses’ laws as the “Jewish laws”- that would be another topic. But for a short explanation: When the NT talks about LAW sometimes it does not distinguish between the Law of Moses (Mosaic Law) from the Law of God (Ten Commandments). Few examples will suffice:
1. The Law of Moses was written in a book. (Deut. 31:24); God’s Law was written on two tablets of stone (Ex. 31:18).
2. The Law of Moses was written by Moses Himself; the Law of God were written with the finger of God.
3. God’s Law (Ten Commandments) was placed inside the ark (Ex. 25:16); Moses’ Law was placed beside the ark (Deut. 31:24-26)
4. Moses Law was added because of Sin (Gal. 3:19). God’s Law points out sin (Rom. 7:7, 3:20)
5. Moses’ Law was contrary/against us (Col. 2:14-16/Deut. 31:26); God’s Law is not grievous/burdensome (1 John 5:3) (nothing in the Decalogue is contrary or against us.
6. Moses Law contained ordinances, (Eph. 2:15), food, drink, festival, SABBATHS (plural) (Col. 2:16). God’s Law does not deal with ordinances, food, drink, festival. And it contains only the Seventh Day Sabbath (singular). (For the list of Ceremonial Sabbaths, see Lev. 23)
7. The Law of Moses were a shadow of things to come (Col. 2:17) because the ordinances pointed to the coming Messiah. And when Jesus came the substance appeared, hence was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14). On the other hand the God’s Law is ETERNAL because it is the transcript or mirror of God’s character.
The Seventh Day Sabbath (always on Saturday) should not be confused with the Ceremonial Sabbaths that occur once a year (Annual Sabbaths) and can be on any day of the week. Besides the Ceremonial Sabbaths listed in Lev. 23, there are also other Sabbaths like Seventh year (Jubilee) when the land was to REST from being tilled; the fiftieth year was also called Jubilee. (Lev. 28:5-10).
All of these were called Sabbaths (plural) because God’s people were to celebrate and Rest. (This is why, what was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14) is called “Sabbaths” or “Sabbath days” (plural) (Col. 2:16), not the Seventh Day Sabbath (singular). (For information only: When an Annual Sabbath, such as the Passover, takes place on the Seventh Day Sabbath (Saturday) that Sabbath is called a HIGH DAY. John 19:31)
The following chart shows how God’s Law is a transcript or Mirror of His character. Note specially the last one that says ETERNAL: (copied from lifeandtruth.com)
GOD Character LAW
Luke 18:19 GOOD Rom. 7:12
Isa. 5:16 HOLY Rom. 7:12
Deut. 32:4 JUST Rom. 7:12
Deut. 32:4 TRUTH Ps. 119:142,151
Matt. 5:48 PERFECT Ps. 19:7
1 John 4:8 LOVE Rom. 13:10
Ex. 9:27 RIGHTEOUS Ps. 19:9
I John 3:3 PURE Ps. 19:8
Gen. 21:33 ETERNAL Ps. 111:7,8
ARTICLE: The first Christians were predominantly Jews and still adhered to the Mosaic and Jewish Laws so when Gentiles began to convert to Christianity, it created a dilemma among the Jewish Christians. There arose some disputes whether the Gentile Christians had to observe the Jewish laws about dietary restrictions, circumcision, Sabbath observance, etc.
COMMENT: The dispute in Acts 15 was about circumcision which belongs to the Mosaic Law. (The 7th day SABBATH was NOT in the agenda because it does not belong to Mosaic Law).
As pointed above the Mosaic Law or Jewish law is different from the Decalogue or God’s law. [BOTH MOSAIC LAW AND GOD’S LAW however CAME FROM GOD, BUT MOSAIC LAW WAS TEMPORARY and ended on the cross. IT ONLY GOVERNED THE JEWISH ECONOMY. GOD’S LAW HOWEVER IS PERMANENT/ETERNAL. THAT IS WHY A DISTINCTION HAS TO BE MADE.] Certain men (Jewish Christians) were insisting that unless Gentile converts are circumcised according to the Law of Moses they cannot be saved.
To tackle this dispute the disciples convened what is generally known as the “Jerusalem Council”. The council’s decision was to write a letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilia, with the effect, to wit: Gentiles were not required to be circumcised or obey the (ceremonial) (Mosaic) law. The letter included some prohibitions: abstain from things polluted by (offered to) idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. The prohibitions seemed to focus on the need to foster Gentile-Jewish fellowship, especially between Christian Gentiles and non-Christian Jews. Following these rules will help Gentiles and Jews to maintain fellowship.
The prohibitions are modeled on the laws that pertain to both Jews and “the strangers who dwell among you”. (Lev. 17-18), to help gentiles live without offense among their Jewish neighbors. All four prohibitions are associated with pagan temples. Abstaining from these and steering clear of pagan temples, will make it obvious that Gentile Christian believers have turned from idolatry to worship the one true God. [Note: when the letter to the gentiles states that they were not required to be circumcised or obey the ceremonial law- there seems to be hint that some Jewish Christians were still observing or tolerating the observance of the ceremonial law- my view only]
ARTICLE: At the Council of Jerusalem, Paul, Peter, James and other Church leaders decided, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that Sabbath observance was not one of the commands they felt necessary for Gentile believers to keep (Acts 15:19-20, 28-29).
COMMENT: As mentioned the 7th day SABBATH WAS NOT IN THE AGENDA IN THIS COUNCIL.
ARTICLE: If Christians were to observe the Sabbath day, the apostles would have clearly taught the Gentile believers who obviously did not have any idea about Sabbath-keeping. If the Sabbath is important, why is it that the New Testament never repeats the command? The apostle Paul had a lot to say about how Christians must conduct themselves and lists numerous sins that can keep a person out of the kingdom of God, but he never mentions the Sabbath.
COMMENT: Acts 13: 42,43 states that the Gentiles begged that ”these words might be preached to them on the next Sabbath”- NOT on the first day of the week. How much more of a teaching that could be about Sabbath keeping.
The Sabbath commandment did not have to be repeated in the New Testament, simply because the people to whom Jesus Christ and the apostles preached would never have imagined that it needed to be repeated! The believers of Jesus’ time had for scriptures ONLY the OT, where the Sabbath law of the Decalogue is found.
Besides, when the apostles took their message beyond the confines of Judea, Sabbath observance was well known in other parts of the Roman Empire. Notice, for example, what the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, writing during the New Testament period, said: “The multitude of mankind itself have had a great inclination for a long time to follow our religious observances; for there is not any city of the Grecians, nor any of the barbarians, nor any nation whatsoever, whither our custom of resting on the seventh day hath not come … As God himself pervades all the world, so hath our law passed through all the world also” ( Against Apion, Book 2, chap. 40).
The apostle Paul certainly had a lot to say about how Christians must conduct themselves, including keeping the Sabbath by example. Paul has not mentioned Sabbath-breaking as sin, but James does. (James 2:10-12). In addition 1 John 2:4 states: He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Paul lists Liars as among those “that is contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:10)
ARTICLE: On the contrary, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days, which includes the Sabbath (Galatians 4:10-11). Paul also writes in Colossians 2:16-17 that monthly rituals, eating and drinking restrictions and the celebration of annual festivals should not be the basis for judging other believers. Paul is saying that Christians are not to say it is wrong for other Christians to be working on the Sabbath and they in return should not let anyone make them feel guilty for what they do on the Sabbath.
COMMENT: (For the accusation of being judgmental- see introduction to the commentary)
COMMENT: What Paul is talking about in Galatians and Colossians texts cited above involve ceremonial feasts and Sabbaths (plural): special days involving MONTHLY rituals, involving food and drinks, festivals, new moon or Sabbaths (plural). All of these are part of the CEREMONIAL SABBATHS also called Feasts of the Lord listed in Leviticus 23. These ceremonial Sabbaths (plural) are not the same as the 7th day Sabbath. A ceremonial Sabbath can occur on different days of the week, but when it occurs, the day is observed much like the 7th day Sabbath (cessation from work and convocation/assembly). Ceremonial Sabbaths involved food and drinks and festivals.
These are what Paul referred to as “shadows of things to come” and was “nailed to the cross”. The Sabbath commandment did not involve food and drinks and festivals, and certainly was not nailed to the cross, otherwise the other nine commandments would have been nailed also. The Ten Commandments of which the Sabbath command is a part of, is universally applicable because stealing, lying, adultery, having another god, taking God’s name in vain, covetousness, are applicable not only for the Jews but for all mankind.
ARTICLE: The reason for this is, these rituals are just a shadow of the things that are yet to come, which is found in Christ. Similarly, Romans 14:5-6 makes it clear that Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. If a Christian feel he is being led to practice Sabbath-keeping, that is, not working on Saturdays, he may do so but should not judge those who do not keep the Sabbath and sincere Christian.
COMMENT: The seventh day Sabbath as pointed out does not belong to rituals or shadows. Romans 14:5,6 does not talk about the Sabbath. The word “day” here cannot refer to the Sabbath as Paul’s own practice and writings regularly attest. It probably refers to the various Jewish feast such as Passover and the Day of Atonement, and the days of fasting that preceded them. There is no serious evidence that Christians in a major way were abandoning the Sabbath as early as the time of Paul.
As the gospels make it clear, the main controversy over the Sabbath in the early church was over HOW to keep it. Early Christians rejected the pharisaical (legalistic) ways of keeping the Sabbath. Paul’s intent in these verses is to urge tolerance for those who are sincere and conscientious in observance of certain ceremonial days, even if those observances are among the “doubtful things” (v.1) [Note: when the letter to the gentiles states that they were not required to be circumcised or obey the ceremonial law- there seems to be hint that some Jewish Christians were still observing or tolerating the observance of the ceremonial law- my view only]
ARTICLE: There is a Sabbath rest for the people of God whereby believers need to rest and to cease from their own works (Hebrews 4:9-10) in order to allow the living God to work in and through them (Hebrews 13:21). But this Sabbath rest is not for Saturday or Sunday – it is for every day of the week. We do not just come into the presence of God and rest in His peace once a week on Sunday (Lord’s day) but we can come to Him every day.
COMMENT: Heb. 4:4,5 “For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” The Greek word used here for Rest is Sabbatismus- literally seventh-day Sabbath. While we can come into the presence of God any day of the week or anytime of the day, He specifies the Seventh Day Sabbath as MY REST.
Heb. 4:6-10 “Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts. ”For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
EXPLANATION: Israel (to whom it was first preached) “did not enter God’s rest because of disobedience” so TODAY, the Lord says: “the promise remains” (v.1) (meaning the promise is still valid). (what promise?- the promise in Ps. 95- “Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”) DO NOT BE DISOBEDIENT so that “some must enter it” (some, meaning God’s people must enter His rest-the promise of the gospel in v. 2 which is salvation). WHAT A GLORIOUS PROMISE THIS IS FOR THE OBEDIENT PEOPLE OF GOD!
ARTICLE: There is absolutely nothing wrong with worshiping on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. In fact, we should worship God every day. Not only on Saturday or Sunday. Many churches today have both Saturday and Sunday services, some even hold worship services every day for church members who need to work on Saturday and Sunday.
ARTICLE: Christians are in no way obligated to keep the Sabbath command in the Old Testament because they are no longer under the Law, but the principle of keeping one day in a week and making it holy unto the Lord has not changed. Christians should still follow the pattern of designating one day of the week to gather in worship. Six days we work and earn our living, and we designate one day holy unto the Lord to gather in worship, but we do not refer to this as the Sabbath.
COMMENT: Thus last paragraph is totally unbiblical. “What then? Shall we sin (or break the law) because we are not under the law, but under grace? CERTAINLY NOT! (Rom. 6:15). Someone who is saved by grace is doubly obligated to obey the law, otherwise he/she is under disgrace. If God has forgiven someone from stealing, should this individual continue to steal? Paul says emphatically “Certainly Not”. In Romans 3:31 Paul writes: “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! (God forbid in the KJV) On the contrary, we establish the law”.
Where in the Bible do we find the “pattern of designating one day of the week to gather in worship”? Nowhere!
The last sentence says in part “…we designate one day holy unto the Lord to gather in worship, but we do not refer to this as the Sabbath. How untrue, because no one can designate one day (or any day) holy. It is only God who can designate a day holy, and He had done that way back on creation week. Of course when any individual “designates” any one day of the week “holy” he/she can never refer to it as the Sabbath.
ADMONITION: Taking a Sabbath rest is an act of faith; it’s a reminder that no matter what we do, God is in control. When we cease from pursuing our material goals for one day each week, we’re saying, “God, I trust You to maintain control while I spend this day focusing on You. I trust You to provide for my needs seven days a week even if I only work for six of them. Regardless of how much money I could earn today, or how much remains on my to-do list from last week, today I’m going to rest my mind and body and bask in Your presence.
My prayer is for everyone to PRAYERFULLY consider God’s promised blessing in the Sabbath Rest. Shalom.
Hello Dan, thanks for taking the time to share your insights. I really appreciate it.
Yes, I must admit that there are still a lot of things in the Bible that I do not fully understand and that is why I am spending time to study God’s Word. As regards to the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day, I’ve said my piece already but I would like to share with you what one of my mentors think about this. He is currently doing his Theological studies in one of the best Bible colleges in Asia and at the same time he’s also a professor in that school. So here it is:
“We have to understand that the commandment to keep the Sabbath was given particularly to the Jews, who were the first intended readers of the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy containing the written Laws. (By the way, please be reminded that I am practicing hermeneutics here based on cultural studies.)
So how do the Jews practice Sabbath-keeping up to this day? I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land just recently and I observed during my stay there that the Jews start to observe the Sabbath every Friday beginning at exactly 5:00 PM and ends at exactly the same time on the next day, Saturday. Please be reminded also that while we use the Gregorian calendar, the Jews have their own calendar, different from ours.
Yes, Saturday is the biblical Sabbath day so if we want to strictly observe the Sabbath rest based on the commandment given to the Jews, we also need to apply the Jewish calendar and even the practice of changing our dates of the month. Based on the Jewish calendar, the day ends at exactly 5:00 PM while using the Gregorian calendar, the day ends at 12:00 midnight.
While I was in Israel, I noticed that every Friday at exactly 2:00 PM all establishments like government offices, stores, markets, etc. will close in preparation for the Sabbath day and you won’t see anyone on the streets. I was able to take a photo inside Jerusalem one Friday at around 2 PM and I wish I could share it here.
The question now is: Are those Christian denominations who insist that Sabbath-keeping is still required today able to follow how the Jews practice true Sabbath observance? If not, then they are not really following the commandment in full but only partially. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Now if we want to fully obey the command to observe the correct day of the Sabbath which is Saturday, not Sunday, we should also follow how the Jews observe the New Year. The Jewish New Year is not January 1st but it usually falls on the month of September, although it moves every year as the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle.”
— Pastor Rey Razo
May I respectfully address the following comments to Pastor Rey Razo (and other readers in this forum). I presume that you have read all the comments that I wrote regarding this article because you have added “new rationale” against Sabbath-keeping.
The argument that the “commandment to keep the Sabbath was particularly given to the Jews, who were the first intended readers of the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy containing the written laws…” is a recycled and modified argument from the original “the Sabbath was only for the Jews” or something similar.
The 4th commandment in part says: “in it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your STRANGER who is within your gates.
God intends for all mankind to keep the Sabbath, not only Jews, for He included the “STRANGER” in the command. Jesus said: “the Sabbath was made for MAN…” (Greek anthropos- meaning human, mankind). Mark 2:27. He even intends Sabbath keeping for everyone not only now, in this present earth, but in the new heavens and new earth. (Isaiah 66:22, 23)
Moreover, the Sabbath command does not stand alone. It is part and parcel of the TEN Commandments. So, the question is: were the other NINE also given particularly (only) to the JEWS since they were the first intended readers of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy? Remember, all Ten Commandments, written by God’s own finger on two tables of stone, were given in its entirety. So, to state the obvious fallacy, if the 4th commandment is only for the Jews, then all the Ten Commandments are also only for the Jews, is that the reasoning? But many Christians say no, we keep the other nine, but not the 4th.
What did Jesus say? “If you love Me, Keep my Commandments”; and that obviously includes the Sabbath command since Jesus Himself showed us by example that He kept His own law. “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read”. Luke 4:16.
Here is where many Christians fail. Jesus, Himself the law-giver, obeyed His own law; but some Christians, by their refusal to keep God’s law, specifically the Sabbath command, but knowingly keep another day which God did not command, may be putting themselves above the law and above the law-giver. I’m wondering if this is not defiance or even rebellion? Jesus further said: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”. John 15:10. You see, the essence or motive for keeping God’s commandments, and keeping the Sabbath, is LOVE.
This is why Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments into: Love for God (first 4 commandments) and love for man (last 6 commandments). After having been saved (justified) we love the ONE who died for our sins. “We love Him because He first loved us”. (1 John 4:19). And because we love Him we obey what He commands. Sabbath-keeping is a delight (Isa. 58:13) as attested to by millions of FAITHFUL Sabbath-keepers the world over. For truly, without love, Sabbath-keeping (and commandment-keeping) is indeed a burden.
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all”. James 2:10
He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4). Sorry, these are not my words, but the scriptures’.
Pastor Rey Razo has correctly observed that the Jews {still} observe the Sabbath in today’s Israel. Take note, they observe the Sabbath, not Sunday, the first day of the week. But since when did the Jews become our model and example in Sabbath-keeping and by extension law-keeping? Since when did our fellow humans, including Sabbath-keepers, become our example. We only have Jesus as our perfect example for He alone kept the law perfectly. (Now before making another argument that because only Jesus kept the law perfectly, so we do not have to keep the law since we cannot keep it perfectly anyway-please read on).
Because Jesus kept the law perfectly, he gave us an example that through His grace we could follow Him. (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Phil 4:13). Alice has rightly defined the word Sanctification- a life-long process wherein the saved (justified) Christian lives a Christ-like life until the day of glorification. This side of eternity, we fall, we stumble, we make mistakes, we miss the mark, we sin because of ignorance, we sin inadvertently; because we are still in the PROCESS of sanctification. Even our Sabbath keeping may sometimes fall short of Christ’s ideal. But praise God for His promise: “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. 1 john 1:9.
I thank God that He has not made the Jews or even Sabbatarians as our example. This is why, in the new covenant, God said He will write His laws in our heart, the center of our love. Unlike in the old covenant where the law was written in stone, and “all the people said ‘all that the Lord has said we will do’”; (Ex. 24:3,7) but they failed miserably because they trusted only on their own strength. In the new covenant, we trust in God’s strength, not our own, to obey the law written in our heart. (Take note: it is the same “MY LAWS”, that “I will put in their minds, and write them on their hearts”) Hebrews 8:10.
In line with your observation in Israel, here are some reasons why Jews could never be our example in Sabbath-Keeping:
1. Biblical day begins with Evening (first) followed by Morning (Gen. chapter 1)
2. Biblical Sabbath begins at Friday Sunset and ends Saturday sunset. (Lev. 23:32) (Luke 4:31-40- take note especially v.40 where the people waited until the sun was setting (after the Sabbath) before bringing their sick to Jesus). The Sabbath is NOT from Friday 5:30 PM to Saturday 5:30 PM. Neither is it from midnight to midnight.
3. The Jews had added many laws to regulate Sabbath-keeping (HOW to keep the Sabbath) from tradition, (Hebrew: תרי”ג מצוות, taryag mitzvot, “613 mitzvot”), that Jesus condemned as hypocritical (Matt. 15, Mark 7). Most Jews cannot even follow all of these traditions perfectly.
4. An example of a hypocritical Jewish Sabbath-keeping (which I am guessing you had observed in Israel) is: on Sabbath, a Jew will not even push the elevator button because it would be considered as work. So they let a gentile (non-Jew) to push it instead. Isn’t that ridiculous?
5. The Jewish people do not even recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
6. Jesus is our only true pattern and example in Sabbath-keeping because He is the law-giver Himself. He said “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”.
While the Gregorian calendar is not the same as the Jewish calendar, take note that both calendars recognize the Sabbath day as the 7th day of the week. It is remarkable that the Jews had never lost track of when the correct Sabbath day is. Changing the DATES of the calendar (if that is even possible), will not change the 7th day of the week. Saturday is still and will be the 7th day, followed by Sunday, the first day.
But indeed (FYI-if not yet known) there was a change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar that occurred in the year 1752. September 2, 1752 (Wednesday) was followed by September 14, 1752 (Thursday) (11 days were dropped). But notice that the sequence of days was not changed. Wednesday was followed by Thursday, and so on, hence Saturday still remained as the 7th day of the week. If still in doubt about the true identity of the 7th day Sabbath: Christians refer to resurrection day as Sunday, which the Bible affirms; the day previous is Saturday, the Sabbath. And you yourself acknowledge that the 7th day, Saturday, is the biblical Sabbath.
God commands us to keep holy only one day- the Sabbath. He did not command us to keep the Jewish New Year or other holiday/s. The problem with Sunday keepers is that they cannot or they refuse to observe the correct ONE day, but suggest to keep Sunday, or any day or even all the days of the week.
Friday is called Preparation day. The idea is to leave all the mundane/worldly tasks of the week and prepare one’s self to meet the Lord on His Holy Day. Take the example of the women who prepared the spices for Jesus body. Important as the anointing of Jesus’ body was, but because it was the preparation day and the Sabbath drew nigh, they left the task and went to observe the Sabbath (Luke 23:56). We do not have to follow what the Jews do or not do on preparation day. Let each one prepare himself/herself for the Sabbath because on that Holy day, he/she is to meet and commune with His maker.
The logic of your reasoning therefore is: Since we cannot keep the Sabbath as the Jews practice it, then we should not keep the Sabbath at all. Instead we should keep Sunday; or any other day except the Sabbath. Many Christians spend more time giving reasons and alibi to discredit Sabbath-keeping in order to justify Sunday-keeping. Why? Because there is absolutely ZERO biblical evidence for Sunday-keeping. Sunday-Keeping is a man-made tradition, and we know what Jesus said about those who follow tradition rather than obey God’s command. Peter and the other apostles cannot put it more bluntly: “We ought to obey God rather than men”. Acts 5:29
It is a pleasure to exchange views with Pastor Rey Razo, who I believe is an honest and sincere Christian, and also is practicing hermeneutics. However, I humbly say, without malice or any offense, that no degree in theology can take the place of law-breaking. The scribes, priests and Pharisees were experts in scriptures, perhaps with enviable hermeneutics. Sad to say their knowledge was in the wrong place or inadequate at the least. Yet the good news is that when the gospel was preached to them, many of the priests were converted. (see Acts 6:7)
Saul, before he became Paul, thought he had it all right. Taught under Gamaliel, the most distinguished teacher of his time, zealous toward God, willing to kill or be killed for what he believed; yet when he encountered Jesus on the Damascus road, found out that his knowledge and zeal were in the wrong place. (Acts 22).
In times of ignorance God overlooks (winked His eye in KJV) Acts 17:30. God overlooks those who have not known the Sabbath command. But when one deliberately refuses to know (when he has the opportunity to know) or deliberately refuses to obey, the dire warning follows in v. 31. I pray that more study be done on this important subject. I understand that no argument on this topic can persuade someone to either agree or disagree. Only the Holy Spirit can guide us into all truth (John 16:13).
Blessings to you all.
Hello Dan,
Just want you to know that Ptr. Rey has read your comments and understood very well your point. However, he has chosen to not respond because according to him, the issue is no longer the Sabbath command but the way your reference texts were interpreted and used as proof texts. As you have read in his comment, hermeneutics is important if we want to properly interpret and apply the Bible.
Here is just a part of what he said in our discussion on FB: “I’d rather not reply anymore, especially when he (meaning you) used Mark 2 and Isaiah as reference texts. Let us not forget that the Gospels (Mark) are interpreted differently from prophetic books (Isaiah).”
It was a pleasure sharing with you, God bless!
hello alice: i’m prayerfully attaching the following for you and your readers consideration. God bless… dan
https://www.facebook.com/EGW.Quotes.Daily/videos/1082002821949822/
Hello Dan, thanks for coming back. Your video attachment is not new to us, we’ve seen this many times over; different versions but the same message. And I say this again, it doesn’t matter if the Roman Catholics claimed to have changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday because this is not what happened. And Christians should know better than to keep believing a lie.
This reminds me of the story of Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias when he spoke at a university where the professors were hard-core atheists. After answering their questions about the validity of the Christian faith for 3 hours, the chairman of that institute approached him and said, “Mr. Zacharias, I wanna thank you for coming here, and what you’ve told us today I believe is the truth. But it’s very difficult to change after 70 years of believing a lie.”
That’s exactly what I am trying to say here; that it’s very difficult to change after many years of believing a lie. If people will just read the New Testament, setting aside their pre-conceived notions, they will see clearly how the Jerusalem Church gathered on the first day of the week for worship and sacrifice, not Saturday.
I will keep repeating this until it sinks through, the Sabbath Law in the Old Testament is different from the concept of Sabbath in the New Testament after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath that the New Testament talks about is the rest that we find in Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. And this is why holding church services on any day of the week is not an issue to the Christians today.
God bless!
Shalom. I mean to thank your for your comment Dan, because it resonates within me, and it has taught me a lot. I will see it as a reference for a while, until The Spirit teach me more.
I have no religion, follow no tradition, and this website’s article had troubled me. It was easy to believe, but at the same time, something had always felt wrong when I heard people say that since they worshipped on the first day of the week and made everyday their Shabbat anyway, it was okay for them to keep pursuing their own interest on the seventh day.
I am not sure whether the seventh day corresponds to our modern Saturdays, though. Could someone provide me with a reference or two on this, please?
The Shabbat is a truly wonderful gift from our creator, and I feel personally honored to be challenged to honor it exactly as he asks of me, which is from Friday evening to Saturday evening (even if I don’t follow the Jewish calendar for anything else, and if I only celebrate it on my own terms, following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.)
This command, directly given by our Creator, El Olam, on stone, for all to witness is a challenging dare of faith, and it might indeed be interesting to see how El Gibor will miraculously arrange my life so that I can freely keep this lovely part of his covenant.
Again, thank you, and praise be to Yeshua, to his Spirit of Love and Truth, and to the Father!
Have a happy Sunday!
Hi Naomi,
I appreciate you for your honesty. By all means, you must seek the Lord if He really requires you to keep the Sabbath command. It saddens me to hear that you were troubled by this article.
Should you want more clarity on this, I encourage you to watch Pastor John MacArthur’s explanation. Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/MoO31Mvpcxs
You may also want to read my recommended reference book, From Sabbath to Lord’s Day, by D.A. Carson.
God bless!
Great article. I haven’t heard of some of the books you mentioned.
The latest one I have read is “Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now”. I don’t think the author, however, makes your distinction between Sabbath and the Lord’s Day.
I sometimes move my own personal “Sabbath” to another day if something comes up like we’re on vacation. I know I don’t have to take the Sabbath, but I feel it’s another way to show God honor in a small way that really doesn’t interfere with life much if you kind of plan on it.
Thanks for these references!
Hello TJ,
I’m glad you stopped by.
For anyone who wants a biblical, historical and theological investigation if the Sabbath practiced by the Israelites in the Old Testament times was changed to Sunday, “From Sabbath to Lord’s Day” by D.A. Carson is a great reference book. This book is authored by D.A. Carson along with 6 other Bible scholars to demonstrate the lack of canonical support for the “transfer theory” of Sabbath obligations to Sunday.
Today, Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath as practiced in the Old Testament but it’s also okay if they want to set aside one day to rest. But it would be much better and pleasing to the Lord if we will set aside at least one day each week for worship and fellowship.
Giving one day in seven to the Lord is one way of honoring God.
God bless you!
Hello Alice,
I really enjoyed reading and spending time on your website. It is an extremely detailed post and I look forward to visiting in the future for continued inspiration. The info that you present on doctrine is essential for anyone that calls themselves a Christian. I also enjoyed reading other readers comments and you responded with grace and to the point. This website is a great resource for fellow Christians and non-Christians for information and inspiration.
As regards to the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath, I agree that Christians are in no way obligated to keep the Old Testament Sabbath because they’re no longer under the Law. However, I believe that Christians should set aside one day in a week for worship and fellowship.
God bless,
Mike
Hello Mike,
Thank you so much for the encouraging comment. I hope to reach out to more readers looking for information on the Word of God and inspiration.
The Sabbath observance has been an issue of disagreement among Christians for as long as I can remember but I believe we have the choice to keep it or not. What really matters is that we give one day to the Lord.
Blessings!
Hi Alice, I really enjoyed your website, it’s full of some really great information. The info that you present on doctrine I too believe is essential for someone calling themselves a Christian.
As Christians, it’s critical for us to continue on a growth track which is what I believe your site design is targeting. For those eager to learn and grow deeper in their faith, your website is a great resource.
Blessings,
Jim M
Shalom Jim,
Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback. I’ve been really wanting to have my own platform to blog about God’s word and His goodness and faithfulness. I am also targeting Christian audience who may hold different views from mine with regards to biblical doctrines as I want to learn from them.
Since this article is about the seemingly controversial Sabbath Law and the Lord’s Day, I would have wanted to hear your thoughts. Anyway, thanks again and God bless!
Such an important topic.
I needed an article just like this where one mentions the “Sabbath” vs the “Lord’s day.”
This came at the right time; for His times are perfect.
I have a male friend in his early thirties who never rests. He is stressed and overwhelmed. He goes to church but doesn’t rest. I don’t know if he thinks that time is resting or what goes on in his mind. Then I’ve got my dad who is very similar. He is always working but the type that if he is not working in his career, he is working in fixing or building something with his own hands. So to me, he doesn’t rest.
What would you tell a believer who doesn’t congregate, thinks the bible got corrupted by generations but still believes in it and lives his entire life working? A male that is really old fashioned but military minded.
Hey Linda,
The biblical Sabbath means taking a timeout from our activities. Jesus Himself said that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, not a burden or an obligation.
As regards to your friend who goes to church but never rests, we don’t know really what he’s thinking. Or maybe he’s just a workaholic and doesn’t think he needs to take a break. Perhaps, going to church to rest in God’s presence feels adequate for him that he doesn’t really need some time off. What matters most is that he does not forget to give one day to the Lord. He may not be keeping the Sabbath but he follows the Christian principle of keeping the Lord’s day.
I’m not sure I’m getting you right when you said that one could still believe in the Bible although he thinks it’s been corrupted. If you are to throw some accusations, at least be consistent. Fellowship is very important for believers for spiritual growth. We are also exhorted to be an encouragement to others, but for some reasons, there are Christians who think they can do it all on their own. Of course, we cannot force people to go to church but we just need to keep encouraging them that being a Christian does not only mean believing in Jesus and the Bible but it also involves fellowship.
We have to understand that the commandment to keep the Sabbath was given particularly to the Jews, who were the first intended readers of the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy containing the written Laws. (By the way, please be reminded that I am practicing hermeneutics here based on cultural studies.)
So how do the Jews practice Sabbath-keeping up to this day? I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land just recently and I observed during my stay there that the Jews start to observe the Sabbath every Friday beginning at exactly 5:00 PM and ends at exactly the same time on the next day, Saturday. Please be reminded also that while we use the Gregorian calendar, the Jews have their own calendar, different from ours.
Yes, Saturday is the biblical Sabbath day so if we want to strictly observe the Sabbath rest based on the commandment given to the Jews, we also need to apply the Jewish calendar and even the practice of changing our dates of the month. Based on the Jewish calendar, the day ends at exactly 5:00 PM while using the Gregorian calendar, the day ends at 12:00 midnight.
While I was in Israel, I noticed that every Friday at exactly 2:00 PM all establishments like government offices, stores, markets, etc. will close in preparation for the Sabbath day and you won’t see anyone on the streets. I was able to take a photo inside Jerusalem one Friday at around 2 PM and I wish I could share it here.
The question now is: Are those Christian denominations who insist that Sabbath-keeping is still required today able to follow how the Jews practice true Sabbath observance? If not, then they are not really following the commandment in full but only partially. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Now if we want to fully obey the command to observe the correct day of the Sabbath which is Saturday, not Sunday, we should also follow how the Jews observe the New Year. The Jewish New Year is not January 1st but it usually falls on the month of September, although it moves every year as the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle.
Thanks for weighing in brother Rey and thank you for giving a cultural background of the Sabbath observance.
Keeping the Sabbath has been a hotly-debated topic among Christians for as long as I can remember so it’s really nice to hear an explanation from someone who is keen on applying hermeneutics (proper biblical interpretation) on difficult passages such as this.
I also hope to visit the Holy Land in the near future, the Lord-willing, so as to get a better grasp and understanding of the Word of God, geography-wise.
In the Old Testament time, God enforced the Sabbath Day into Law to the people of Israel. We can see that in the following passages: Exodus 20:8-9; Exodus 23:12; Exodus 31:15; Deuteronomy 5:12; Leviticus 26:2.
For them, The Old Testament system of Law required keeping the Sabbath as part of the overall moral, legal, and sacrificial system by which the Jewish people satisfied God’s requirements for behavior, government, and forgiveness of sins.
The Sabbath was part of the Law in that sense. In order to “remain” in favor with God, you had to also keep the Sabbath. If it was not kept, then the person was in sin and would often be punished (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23; Deuteronomy 13:1-9; Numbers 35:31; Leviticus 20:2, etc.).
But as Gentile Believers of the new covenant, Jesus’ atonement, and justification by faith (Romans 5:1), we are no longer covered & required to keep the Law and hence what apostle said, the Sabbath was only a shadow of things to come (Colossians 2:16-17).
Paul explain further, We are not under Law, but under grace (Romans 6:14-15).
The Sabbath is fulfilled in Jesus because in Him we have rest (Matthew 11:28).
We are not under obligation to keep the Law and this goes for the Sabbath as well, for Jesus Himself was the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8).
Shalom Ben, thanks for sharing your insight with regards to Sabbath-keeping. The Scripture passages you enumerated do give us a strong foundation in believing that Christians are not in anyway obligated to keep the Sabbath.
But following the principle of giving at least one day in seven for the Lord is something believers should strive to maintain.
God bless!
Hi Alice,
I enjoyed reading your post and from my belief as a Christian found it to be Christ centered and thought provoking. I think the biggest difference and I believe that you made it clear in your post is that keeping the Sabbath was an old testament covenant under the law; whereas, The Lord’s Day is a new testament covenant under grace. As new testament Christians, we are not obligated to keep the Sabbath but we should set aside one day in seven to rest and fellowship with God and each other. To use it as a day to renew our initial commitment to Christ and our oneness with other believers. Best wishes and God bless!
Queen
Hi Queen, thanks for your comment, I truly appreciate it.
I wrote this article for the very reason that many believers are still hung up with Sabbath-keeping which is very evident in Christian forums and social media groups. This has led to confusion among new believers especially with the popular theory that the Roman Catholics changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday which can easily be refuted by reading the Gospels, the book of Acts and Paul’s epistles. The New Testament Apostolic Church gathered in worship and fellowship on the Lord’s day, Sunday.
While believers today are not in anyway obligated to keep the Sabbath, giving one day to the Lord for worship and fellowship with other believers is commendable.
Shalom and God bless!
I happen to be a Seventh-Day Adventist.
I believe in the Sabbath as a weekly day of rest, set aside for us by God, to rest and reconnect with Him and his creation.
You mention the Sabbath is only first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus. Exodus 16:22-26 to be correct.
It’s inaccurate.
In the Hebrew translation, the Sabbath (as the verb שָׁבַת֙ šāḇaṯ) is first mentioned in the Genesis creation narrative, where the seventh day is set aside as a day of rest (in Hebrew, Shabbat), and made holy by God
So the first time it was mentioned in the Bible happens to be in Genesis 2:2–3, during creation.
When it is later mentioned in Exodus, it’s said as a reminder to the Israelite people who had spent 400 years in slavery. After 400 years, you forget things, especially when you’re a slave and the right to rest on a day has been taken from you a long time ago.
So it’s a myth to say the Sabbath was made for the Jewish people only. It started at creation, and it was intended for everyone.
The funny thing is, in Exodus 20: 8-11, the commandment starts by: “Remember” the Sabbath day to keep it holy
Ironically, it’s the one people struggle with the most.
And keep in mind that this commandment is found in the ten commandments parts, where it’s also written not to steal, not to commit murder or adultery. So why would one of these commandments be canceled?
Jesus, all the apostles, including Paul were all observing it. If we’re encouraged to be the followers of Christ, why would differ from that?
The Catholic church has admitted explicitly that they’re the ones who have changed this observation day. You can visit tons of site. They admit plainly without any ambiguity. Even the protestants reformers were observing the Sabbath.So why shouldn’t we?
Now I hope I’m encouraging you to make more research as to how, why and by who the day of adoration was changed from the 7th to the first day of the week. I don’t think you mean harm, but your page goes against the word of the Lord. The Bible. So you’re not in business with me, nor with human beings. What you wrote goes against the Lord.
I’m not saying either that keeping the Sabbath will lead to eternal life. No, because no one can thoroughly observe the law. That’s why Jesus died for us. But he doesn’t say to forget the 10 commandments entirely because he paid the price for our sins.He accomplished the ceremonial laws, being the perfect lamb who sacrificed himself for us. But he also says “If you love me, keep my commandments,” which he summarized in Love thy God and thy neighbor. Notice that the love of God is manifested by the first 4 commandments and the love for our neighbors should be demonstrated by trying to keep the 6 remaining ones.
I honestly don’t care whether you post this comment on your blog or not (I don’t believe you will). I don’t think it’s a coincidence. We’re 2 fellow WA who don’t know eachother, in a vast community. Why did I end up commenting on your site? I don’t know the exact reason. But you do need to be very careful about what you post, you could be well intended, but even Paul was well-intended when he was persecuting the Christians….
I pray you will find the light.
God bless you
Hello RN Didi,
I agree, it’s no coincidence that we crossed paths here at WA.
I mean well when I wrote this post. It is never my intention to demean or put down other religious denominations, especially the Sabbatarians. And contrary to what you think, I did approve your comment and I want it read by others who may have questions about the Sabbath and the Lord’s day for clarity.
So first point, if you go back and read my article very carefully, I did say that the first mention of the Sabbath in “some significant way” after it was given to man was in Exodus 16:22-26 although it had its origin in Genesis 2:2-3 when God rested after completing His work of creation. It’s very important to note that although God rested on the seventh day, there’s no command given to man to observe it until the Ten Commandments was given in Exodus 20. It wasn’t even called Sabbath in Genesis 2:2-3 but only 7th day.
Second point, I said that the observance of the Sabbath is in no way associated with worship and sacrifice; instead, it’s a day instituted by God for the nation of Israel to “rest” and remember their covenant with Him. It’s not a day commanded by God for them to go to the temple/tabernacle to commune with Him. The Sabbath command was to do no work on the Sabbath day. The word Sabbath means “to rest” or “to cease” from any work, not a day for worship or adoration. Yes, it is included in the 10 commandments but it’s interesting to note that among all the commandments, keeping the Sabbath is the only one not repeated in the New Testament. While the nine commandments were repeated and put even on a higher standard, the command about the Sabbath is not.
In Mark 2:27, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. What did He mean?That the Sabbath was instituted to give man rest from his labors. If the church is strictly required to keep the 4th commandment, I find it odd that Jesus and His disciples, especially Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, did not impose it. Paul warned the Christians about many different sins in his epistles, but breaking the Sabbath was never one of them. As I mentioned in my post, at the council of Jerusalem, the church leaders did not include Sabbath observance among the commands for Gentile believers to keep. But I doubt if you read the article in its entirety because I addressed all your questions towards the end.
Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17 that festivals (including Sabbath observance) are only shadows of things yet to come, but the substance is of Christ. Old Testament regulations, including Sabbath observances are ceremonial, not moral aspects of the Law, so they are no longer binding but have passed away along with the sacrificial system and all other aspects of the Mosaic Law that prefigured Christ. So as I said, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. If a Christian feels he is being led to practice Sabbath-keeping, that is, not working on Saturdays, he may do so but should not judge those who do not keep the Sabbath.
Yes, it certainly was the case that the apostles frequented the synagogues on the Sabbath for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel. That is where the greatest concentration of Jews would have been (Acts 13:14; 17:1-2, etc.), and the message regarding Jesus was to be spoken first to them (Rom. 1:16). But where is the evidence that the early church, under divine guidance, came together to worship God on the Sabbath day?
If I am going against the word of God by saying that Sabbath observance is no longer binding upon Christians then let God be the judge. But I suggest you also do a thorough study of Scriptures, read the Gospels, the book of Acts and all the epistles of Paul if you will find any explicit command to keep the Sabbath. And if you can give me a passage wherein the Sabbath is associated with worship and temple sacrifice, I will be glad to look into it. Because so far, no Sabbatarian could give a text or passage to support this claim.
Third and the most important point, because it is the main point of the article, the Sabbath and the Lord’s day are different days and commemorate different events. The Sabbath was not changed from Saturday to Sunday, so to speak of Sunday as the Sabbath is quite wrong, because for the Christian there is no such thing. Sunday is not the Sabbath. The biblical Sabbath is the seventh day (Saturday) which commemorates God’s rest after He completed His work of creation; while the Lord’s day, the first day (Sunday) commemorates the resurrection of our Lord. The Lord’s Day is primarily and essentially a day when we celebrate that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead — He is therefore alive and with us here and now, thus we gather to worship Him together.
It doesn’t matter if the Roman Catholics are claiming they were the ones who changed the Sabbath to Sunday because the New Testament Christians (the Apostolic Church) kept Sunday as the day of worship and fellowship, and that is why Christians today gather on Sunday. Gathering on the first day of the week has been the practice of Christians from the beginning and did not just start during the 4th century.
By the way, I encourage you to look into my recommended resource “From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation” by D.A. Carson.
Shalom and God bless you!
In Colossians 2:16, no one shall pass judgment on anyone regarding food, festival, including Sabbath. It is therefore unbiblical to be legalistic and to pass judgment on either Saturday or Sunday worship.
Laying down the plow and taking a day off from a week’s toil is a blessing. However, true rest is to rest in the Lord.
In Romans 14:5-9, one day is better than another while all days are just alike for others. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.
With this, and coming from a lay person’s mind such as mine, although some of the readers may not agree, I believe that it is not which day it is that is important. It is far better using our time wisely rather than digging deeper on which day I should worship my God. It is God, the only one we worship in spirit and in truth that matters the most! Whatever day it may be, do it then to worship, honor and glorify the Lord!
God bless us all!
I didn’t know about the “Sabbath day”. I’m really surprised about some of the information on this post. It’s certainly an interesting point of view. Very engaging. Now I understand more about it after reading this post. And it’s actually pretty interesting. In fact I thought that it was on Saturday from the latin word “Sabato” which in Italian means Saturday. According to biblical study, it took God seven days to create the heavens and the earth and on the 7th He rested.
The mere mention of the word “Sabbath” has everyone thinking it refers to Saturday. But while this is true because the Sabbath is the seventh day, the emphasis of the Sabbath is the day that God rested, which He also commanded the nation of Israel to keep as a sign of His covenant with Him when He gave them the 10 commandments.
So whether Christians choose to observe the Sabbath as taught in the Old Testament is a matter of preference and conviction. But to judge Christians who do not keep the Sabbath practice is simply wrong.
I had never heard or thought of “Sabbath day” related to worship. This is so new to me. I know it’s not related but wow. Who would see it that way? So interesting. I have a new way to view it. A funny way actually. The letters “Sab” from Sabbath in the Spanish language is how “Sabado” meaning Saturday starts. If you think abut it; God rested on the 7th day and the weeks starts on a Sunday (not Monday) so it’s totally connected. There is another similarity within the language with the term “Tithe” in Spanish; but that’s another topic.
Hello Linda,
That’s exactly the point I tried to emphasize in the article, that the Sabbath was never associated with a day worship and sacrifice, but a day when God rested after finishing His work of creation and what He instituted for the nation of Israel as a sign of His covenant with them. Who would see the Sabbath as a day of worship? The Sabbatarians! That’s why they always insist that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday during the fourth century. They insist that Christians should gather in worship on Saturday not Sunday because Saturday is the Sabbath and it should be the day that we give to the Lord.
Sabbath means rest, and yes the first 3 letters “Sab” is how Saturday in Spanish starts (The Philippines being colonized by the Spaniards also refer to Saturday as Sabado.) But the Lord’s day, Sunday, is the traditional worship day for Christians as practiced by the New Testament Church. But if a Christian feels led to keep the Sabbath, then he must do it. He can choose to stay home with his family and remember the goodness of God but he should not judge those who do not keep it because it’s important to note that the commandment to keep the Sabbath is nowhere repeated in the New Testament, so it is not binding to Christians today.