Question:


Answer:

There are many ideas and opinions about the Sabbath today. Orthodox Jews are still very diligent to observe the Sabbath and shut down from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, while more moderate Jews give little observance at all.

However, since this is a Christian web site the question posed needs to be considered in the light of the New Testament and Jesus Christ.
The Seventh Day Adventists teach that you must keep the Sabbath in order to be saved (this includes going to church on Saturday and not Sunday). Some Christians that belong to "mainline" denominations that attend church on Sundays feel guilty if they must work on Sunday and many others are simply confused on the subject.

The answer to this "dilemma" is found in Scripture and perhaps after studying this topic out for yourself you can come to a conclusion that will settle the issue once and for all in your mind and bring you much comfort as well!

The Scripture states, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8-11).

As New Testament believers we revere the Ten Commandments because they are a schoolmaster which bring us to Christ (Gal. 3:24) and we honor them out of obedience to Christ Himself. Once you are saved keeping the Commandments is not really that big of an issue - Christians do not want to kill, steal, lie, or commit adultery because all of our sin was paid for by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Why would we want to live in those sins knowing that Christ HAD to die for those sins? And once we have been regenerated and have the Holy Spirit within us we are enabled to live holy lives that are acceptable and pleasing to God out of our love (agape, which is sacrificial love) and gratitude to God (1 John 5:2-5).

So, all that to say that as Christians we obey the Commandments, but I want to draw your attention to something peculiar about the fourth Commandment (Sabbath Command) in the New Testament. Namely, it is not there in the same context as all of the other Commandments. You will notice in the New Testament that Jesus restates all of the Commandments except the Command to KEEP the Sabbath. The question is WHY?

Why does Jesus not teach on the Fourth Commandment that dictates dedication to Sabbath observance?
It is good to remember that Jesus was accused of being a "Sabbath-Breaker" Himself in Matthew 12:1-8. Jesus corrected His accusers by pointing out their legalism and then correcting their understanding by stating that He was Lord of the Sabbath. If Jesus had truly wanted us to keep the Sabbath in the same manner of the Jews under Mosaic Law we would have seen a completely different response from our Lord at that time.

I would like to point out another observance from Scripture in regards to the Sabbath - the Sabbath was for the Jews. In Exodus 31:13-17 we read, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed". Perhaps Jews today could make the argument to keep the Sabbath from this Scripture but if you are a Gentile then it is clear that the Sabbath was made as a sign and covenant between God and the Jews, not everyone else.
We might also take note from Scripture that we see the Sabbath rest mentioned in Gen. 2:2-3 after God is finished with creation, yet 2500 years goes by before that Command was given to Moses in the Ten Commandments. It is good to realize that 2500 years of human history transpired without Sabbath observance. Why? ...because the Sabbath was a covenant between God and His people Israel.

More specifically, the New Testament teaches the following on the Sabbath:

Colossians 2:13-17 - And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of you flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the the body is of Christ.

Hebrews 4 speaks on the Sabbath rest of Christ - that is ceasing from your dead works to obtain salvation and resting in the finished work of Christ on the cross. This is the true SABBATH REST!
Hebrews 4:9-10 - There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

DO CHRISTIANS KEEP THE SABBATH?

My response is a resounding YES! (but not in a legalistic Saturday sort of way). A Christian keeps the Sabbath by resting in the finished work of Christ on the cross. A Christian has repented of his sin and put his faith in the resurrected Christ and HIS FINISHED WORK! A Christian lives in the Sabbath. We cannot earn anything from God. We can merely rest in His finished work on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In doing this we are keeping the Command to keep the Sabbath holy.