The seventh-day Sabbath is taught and kept holy in accordance with biblical instruction. Instituted at Creation, reaffirmed to Israel as a part of the covenant at Sinai and taught by Jesus Christ who is the Messenger of the New Covenant, the observance of the Sabbath is considered basic to a Christian's relationship with God.
The Sabbath was established by God at Creation week; it was made for man, reaffirmed by Jesus, taught by the apostles and kept down through the centuries by faithful Christians. The importance of the Sabbath in the Old Testament cannot be disputed. Its continued observance is exemplified in the New Testament which confirms Sabbath-keeping as a fundamental practice of Jesus and the apostolic Church.
The original twofold functions of the Sabbath in the Old Testament were not ceremonial. The Sabbath (1) provided needed rest for the body and the psyche; and (2) gave opportunity for closer contact with God through study and prayer. When God established Israel as His people, the Sabbath was utilized as the time for congregational services, a commanded assembly of all the people. These needs are still very much extant in the 20th century.
While a simple, straightforward command from God to keep the Sabbath would be sufficient for us to keep it, an understanding of the Sabbath's purpose and intent is helpful and enlightening. The purpose behind most laws is clear, and that which lies behind the Old Testament commands about the Sabbath is evident. Once this purpose is understood, it becomes obvious why no New Testament restatement of the basic command was necessary or even likely. The New Testament discussions and examples concern how to keep the Sabbath (in spirit rather than in a rigid, legalistic manner), not whether to keep it.
The most important New Testament statement on the Sabbath was spoken by Jesus Christ as quoted in Mark 2:27-28. Jesus not only affirms the Sabbath command, He also instructs us about its purpose. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Thus, it is apparent that the Sabbath was made for men, for his spiritual and physical benefit. It provides the means for loving God to a greater degree by direct worship and, indirectly, by the spiritual renewal which enables one to keep up a constant direction of mind toward godly matters throughout the week. It is in our earnest attempt to express loyalty and love toward our Creator and to worship Him in spirit and in truth that we, as Christians, continue to keep the seventh-day Sabbath.
The English word "Sabbath" is basically an anglicized pronunciation of a Hebrew word meaning "rest" or "repose." This Hebrew noun is itself evidently related to the verb "to stop rest or cease.” "Ceasing” is exactly what God did on the seventh day of Creation week. In the Hebrew, Genesis 2:2 literally says that God "sabbathed"—ceased" or rested—on the seventh day from all His work.
By definition, the Sabbath is a weekly holy day, a solemn rest, an appointed FEAST, a holy convocation (Lev. 23:3). As such it is a period of time of approximately 24 hours reckoned from sundown Friday evening until sundown Saturday evening. The period of observation is borne out both by the repeated phrase, "And the evening and the morning were the ... day," in Genesis I and by direct statements in such passages as Leviticus 23:32 on observing an annual Sabbath, "from evening to evening."
The initial and cardinal passage about the Sabbath is contained in the Creation account which reads: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made, And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it" (Gen. 2:1-3).
Since from the beginning the Sabbath is associated with Creation week and specifically the creation of man, the Sabbath's universal or cosmopolitan perspective sets it above any uniquely Israelite law and practice. The Creation Sabbath is presented in much the same way that the later prophets envisioned it—namely as an observance for all mankind, for the Gentile as well as for the Israelite. Therefore, while the Sabbath was later a functional part of the covenant at Sinai (Ex. 20-24), its purpose and place are clearly much broader than that. (For example, Isaiah 66:23 shows that all nations will be observing the Sabbath during the millennial reign of Christ.)
In Exodus 16 the Sabbath is once again explicitly mentioned. This chapter records God's revealing of which day was indeed the seventh of the week—the Sabbath—to the nation of Israel. God's great efforts to show Israel His true Sabbath would, of course, be natural in light of the importance given the Sabbath in the Creation account. He would surely want His chosen people to know which day He had earmarked as "blessed and sanctified."
The account of Exodus 16 shows the great importance God places on a specific period of time for the Sabbath. The true Sabbath could never be just one day, any day, out of seven. God caused special miracles to ratify the holiness of the Sabbath—double the normal amount of manna was found on the sixth day and the extra manna did not spoil when left until morning as it would have on any other day. And when some Israelites went looking for manna on the Sabbath, God told Moses, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" (v. 28). This statement is especially relevant since it took place before the covenant at Sinai, proving both that the Sabbath predated that covenant and that it is included as one of God's commandments and laws.
The additional significance of the account of Exodus 16 lies in the fact that it shows the supreme importance of the Sabbath to God. The fact that God revealed and maintained the identity of His Sabbath to Israel by the daily and the weekly miracles of the manna—along with the clear example of the types of punishment meted out upon those who broke the Sabbath as recorded in these verses—reemphasizes that God's original Sabbath command was a law of extreme importance. The fact that the events described in Exodus 16 actually occurred in Israel before the institution of the covenant at Sinai corroborates the truth that the Sabbath was not, as some contend, only part of God's specific pact with that nation and hence of significance to no other people. But even then, the inclusion of the Sabbath by God in His covenant with Israel—His clear delineation of the Sabbath as one of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20—only adds weight to its importance, rather than detracting from it. At the making of the Sinai covenant the Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments recorded on the tablets of stone and kept inside the Ark of the Covenant. Other terms of the covenant were considered of less significance as was shown by their being kept outside the ark.
God's Sabbath command of Exodus 20:8, "Remember the Sabbath . . . to keep it holy" represents an example of God definitely tutoring His special people in the obedience of a universal law, rather than His singling out one nation for obedience to an exclusive law not meant for the rest of mankind. The admonition, "Remember," itself indicates that this commandment is not instituting the Sabbath for the first time, but rather enjoining Israel to keep and retain what is already in existence. It does not say He originated or instituted the Sabbath with them—it says He made it known to them. Israel had lost knowledge of it at that time, as Gentiles have today. But God revealed the Sabbath to Israel, who was to become His covenant nation. God did not create the Sabbath at Sinai, but rather made it fully known at that time.
Just as the Sabbath was commanded before the covenant of Exodus 20-24, so the Sabbath was also given as a separate covenant with special significance in Exodus 31:12-17. It is referred to as a "sign" (Hebrew 'ct) of the special relationship between God and Israel. (Signs referred to elsewhere as evidence of covenants are: the rainbow in regard to God's covenant with mankind, Genesis 9:8-17;
Why was God's Sabbath day singled out in Exodus 31 as a sign? The day upon which we worship identifies us. Many other nations kept some of the laws of God in one form or another. Some had fairly tight moral laws, usually criminal ones. But none kept the Sabbath day. It was the one law of God that would make Israel stand out. It would act as a sign to show that Israel was the nation of God. It would also keep Israel knowledgeable of God as Creator—the one true God who made everything. When the nations of the ten tribes of Israel later gave up this Sabbath sign, they were lost to history. But the Jews continue to keep it to this day, and are known by it. It is even called "Jewish" by others. The Sabbath is the one commandment of the ten that will maintain a direct line to God.
The Sabbath is in force until God says differently. In the case of Exodus 31 the Sabbath remains between God and His people. God never did say stop. God still only deals with Israel—Abraham's seed—but in the New Testament, "Israel" has become spiritual and all peoples can, through Christ, become "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29), which promise—salvation—"is of the Jews" (Jn. 4:22). Everyone has to become a part of Israel in order to enter into God's covenantal relationship. The Church is the Israel of God (Rom. 9:6-8). So the Sabbath remains a sign to show just who is in that covenantal relationship with God, just who the true Church is or who the people of God are.
Ezekiel 20:12 shows that God gave Israel His Sabbath as a sign for another reason as well: so that they would continually know who was the God that sanctified them. This means that the Sabbath is one means by which God sanctifies by setting apart for a holy purpose. Certainly sanctification is even more important in the spiritual sense of the New Covenant than it was in the physical sense of the Sinai covenant. The spiritual intent under the New Covenant, far from being diminished, must in fact be intensified for Christians. Since the Sabbath began at Creation—not with the Sinaitic covenant with Israel—and then was made a special sign in a covenant forever with Israel, we still know the Sabbath as God's covenant people today: it is still the same sign. Leviticus 23 enumerates the Sabbath as one of the appointed FEASTS of the Lord.
During the intertestamental period a great reawakening took place among the Jewish community with respect to the importance of God's laws. One catalyst was the remembrance of the exiles; another was the slaughter and persecution brought about by Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century B.C. The Jewish community "built a wall" around the law by adding regulations far beyond the biblical statements in an attempt to make it "impossible" for anyone to even approach breaking the law: the example of the Sabbath is a classic one. Hence, as we approach the time of Christ's ministry, we find that the Sabbath had become not a joy but a burden— something not originally intended by God. As a result, Christ had to set out to clarify the true "spirit" of the law.
There is great emphasis on the Sabbath throughout the Old Testament. Much is also written about Sabbath observance in the New Testament. The emphasis changes, however, from a nationalistic system of communal Sabbath-keeping, fulfilling the letter of the law, to an individual responsibility of personal worship on the Sabbath, fulfilling the spirit of the-law. The issues discussed in the New Testament never deal with WHETHER the Sabbath should be kept. This would be utterly impossible as we will see. Rather, the questions deal with HOW the Sabbath should be kept.
Therefore, when Jesus was called into account for doing certain things on the Sabbath, it was not for violating specified Old Testament prohibitions, but for disavowal of noninspired, traditional regulations written by men concerning the Sabbath. The Old Testament did not forbid one to pick ears of grain on the Sabbath to eat on the spot. Yet when Jesus and His disciples did this He was called to account. The reason? Because the religious leaders had classified picking ears as "reaping" and rubbing loose the grain as "threshing."
The incident of the disciples plucking grain to eat in the fields (Mt. 12:1-8; Mk. 2:23-28; Lk. 6:1-5) was specifically permitted in the Old Testament (Deut. 23:25). They were accused only of Sabbath-breaking. Jesus did not defend their actions on the grounds that the Sabbath was done away. Rather, He used relevant analogies: David and the showbread (KJ.V—"bread of the Presence," RSV) and the priests in the temple. It was only after He had shown that the actions of the disciples were not a true violation of the Sabbath that He asserted, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:27-28). By this means He showed not that the Sabbath was done away but rather the correct spirit in which to keep the Sabbath. Jesus was clearly a Sabbath-keeper, not a Sabbath-breaker.
Similarly, it was forbidden by extra-biblical Jewish law to treat a sickness when the sick person's life was in no immediate danger. Although being watched by the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (Mt. 12:9-14; Mk. 3:1-6; Lk. 6:6-11). To defend Himself He used the analogy of pulling a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath. This shows that it was not His intent to break the Sabbath but to show that relieving suffering was wholly consistent with the purpose of the day.
Similarly, when He healed a cripple who had been ill 38 years, He told the man to pick UP his pallet and go home (Jn. 5:8). This carrying of a few ounces of weight was in no way a violation of the law against bearing a burden on the Sabbath (Jer. 17:21, 22, 27). It was only in the opinion of certain onlooking religious leaders that He had violated the Sabbath discussions given in the gospels. (Other healings are also described in such passages as John 9; Luke 13:10-13; 14:2-4.)
One passage is undisputed, at least insofar as a clear reference to Sabbath observance after Jesus’ own lifetime is concerned. This is Matthew 24:20: "Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath." This admonition is directed at Jesus’ own followers. And such instructions would have had little place in a non-Sabbath-keeping community. Scholars are almost unanimous in agreeing that this refers at least to a time as late as the 66-70 war against Rome, long after Jesus' death. (The dual implications of this prophecy also show that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would be kept by His people later in the "time of the end.") In addition, Christ's own example of attending the weekly synagogue is significant. In Luke 4, Jesus attends the synagogue on the Sabbath day in His own city "as His custom was" (v. 16). Evidently it had not been His custom heretofore to speak in the synagogue since the listeners were astonished at his teaching. This indicates He attended regular services as a means of Sabbath observance rather than just for the purpose of teaching. And it is impossible to over emphasize the importance of Christ's own example since He told His disciples to teach all nations those things that He had commanded them (Mt. 28:20).
Thus, we may conclude that the picture of Jesus as a lawbreaker as done in some fundamentalist circles, is easily refuted by the scriptures and is also generally rejected by scholarship. The argument that Christians today need not do what Jesus Himself did and taught is refuted by Matthew 28:20, as mentioned above, where the disciples are told to teach what Jesus had commanded them.
It is abundantly clear that the Jerusalem Church never gave up Sabbath observance during the New Testament era. On Paul's last visit to Jerusalem (about 58-60 A.D.), James and all the elders of the Church told Paul how the thousands of converted Jews "are all zealous ["ardent upholders," Moffatt] of the law" (Acts 21:20). In such an environment, it is inconceivable that the cherished and holy Sabbath would no longer be kept. The Sabbath is in the center of the law.
In his letter to the Church in Rome in this same time period, 55-59 A.D., Paul reminds them that the Gentiles "have been made partakers of their spiritual things" in a direct reference to the poor saints in the Jerusalem Church for whom Paul was asking physical contributions (Rom. 15:26-27). One cannot imagine that "partaking of their spiritual things" would not include worship on the Sabbath, since it was fully revered by the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and constituted a significant part of their spiritual lives.
The first ministerial conference in the apostolic Church is highly informative both for what was said and for what was not said (Acts 15). In the year 49-50 A.D., the issue of whether circumcision was required for salvation caused such dissension in the Church that Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the apostles and elders. Various issues of current interest were discussed—issues such as idolatry, fornication and certain eating laws—but the Sabbath was not discussed at all. It was not relevant. Why? Because it simply was not an issue. Nobody in all Christianity was as yet teaching that the Sabbath did not have to be observed and kept holy by the Church. Just the opposite, in fact, appears to have been the case. James, who seems to have been in charge, concluded by referring to what was actually happening in that crucial time. "For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues" (Acts 15:21). As S. Bacchiocchi, a scholar who has researched the question writes: "We should note that James' statement refers specifically to the Gentile Christians outside Judea. It is therefore significant to notice that the Gentile Christians (possibly former "Proselytes or God-fearers") were still attending synagogue, listening to the reading and exposition of the Scriptures "every Sabbath." The total silence of the Council on such an important matter as a new day of worship [or elimination or even denigration of the long-standing day of worship] would seem to indicate that such a problem had not yet arisen.
Thus it can be seen that Acts 15:21 is a very interesting scripture. James does not make a big issue about what he is saying; apparently, he does not have to. He is simply explaining why this major conference would only rule on a few things for the Gentile Christians to abstain from: "pollution of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood" (Acts 15:20). Obviously, there were other things Christians had to abstain from, such as dishonoring parents, killing, lying, etc., but James is simply saying that all these other responsibilities of Christians were well known since God's laws were read every Sabbath in the synagogue.
The picture of the early Gentile Church in Acts illustrates continued Sabbath observance. From Acts 13 we learn that the apostles Paul and Barnabas preached in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia on the Sabbath (v. 14). They were so successful that they were asked back the next Sabbath. Acts 13:42-43 is then an interesting passage. It shows that the Jews rejected Paul's strong message and went out of the synagogue. But the Gentiles wanted to hear more and beseeched Paul to preach to them the next Sabbath. Here are Gentiles, not asking to meet on a Sunday or a weekday evening, but on the Sabbath. The next Sabbath almost the whole city came to hear Paul speak (v. 44). Notice that the Jews were not a part of this; they were angry with Paul (v. 45). This was a Gentile meeting (v. 48)—on the Sabbath! They knew the significance of the Sabbath day. If Paul had wanted to meet with the Gentiles on a Sunday, he could easily have said: "We can just assemble tomorrow on the Lord's day." But this is not the case. They all waited a whole week—then on the following Sabbath day we find Paul preaching to a whole Gentile city! He was not trying to impress the Jews. They had turned from him. But Paul kept the Sabbath, and here endorses it for the entire Gentile world. In Acts 16:13 Paul goes out to a place of prayer (apparently because there was no synagogue). It was, in fact, Paul's custom to attend the synagogue on the Sabbath (Acts 17:1-2). While these occasions were used as opportunities to spread the gospel, as would be natural, they are certainly an also further example of Paul’s worshipping God specifically on the Sabbath.
The point that needs to be understood is that meeting on the Sabbath was completely normal for the Gentiles. There was nothing extraordinary about it, nothing to make an issue out of. What we find recorded in the book of Acts are some matter-of-fact comments by Luke concerning what occurred. It was common knowledge—and Theophilus (to whom the book was written, Acts 1:1) took for granted this fact—that the entire Church, Gentile and Jewish, met on the Sabbath as SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES. This is what would be expected: Paul preaching on the Sabbath and then meeting with Gentiles on the same day. It was nothing unusual. So we can now examine Acts( The history of the New Testament Church) alongside the gospels and still find no teaching—not even a hint of one—that the Sabbath day was removed or changed. On the contrary, we find Jesus and Paul keeping it, teaching on it and meeting with others to worship God on it—all on the Sabbath. It is also significant that the Sabbath is called THE Sabbath. This was not the common Greek way of referring to the seventh day of the week. So, Luke is actually giving additional meaning to the Sabbath by referring to it by name. He does not call it the "Jewish Sabbath" but simply "the Sabbath." (The Hebrew—or Aramaic—word was, in fact, borrowed by the New Testament writers.)
Acts was written years after the resurrection of Jesus and the establishment of the Church in Gentile as well as Jewish areas. If the Sabbath had been removed, it should have been long since gone. The date was in the middle or late 60's A.D. It was not common for Gentiles to call the seventh day of the week "the Sabbath," any more than it is common in the United States to call Saturday the Sabbath (And Theophilus, to whom the book was written, could have been a Gentile.) So, when Luke says that Paul went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, he is commenting in effect that this was God's Sabbath or rest day, for he calls it just that. If Paul had gone to a synagogue on a Sunday he would faced an empty hall. The connotation would be the same today if we heard someone call Saturday "the Sabbath"; we would think it significant and probably assume that that person kept Saturday as his Sabbath or rest day. The same goes for Luke 23:56. The women rested on the Sabbath "according to the fourth commandment." This is not meant as a mere historical narrative but as a comment on that day actually being the Sabbath. Calling the seventh day Sabbath then is very significant, especially around 63 A.D. when Luke wrote his gospel.
There is more concrete evidence in Acts that Paul and all the apostles kept the Sabbath. Perhaps the strongest proof is that they were never accused by the Jews of breaking it. Notice in this regard John 5:9-18 and 9:13-16. Here these men thought Jesus had broken the Sabbath by healing on that day. They wanted to kill Him for this and claimed the legal right to do so. This was serious. It was a major issue to them. Then, in the latter passage, some of them conclude that Jesus could not be of God, because He did not keep the Sabbath. Christ did not follow their Sabbath rules. What we find in Acts are similar vicious attacks on Paul but a stark contrast regarding accusations about not keeping the Sabbath.
The Jews from Palestine were really after Paul. They wanted to find something against him. He was constantly under attack. But he was never even accused of breaking the Sabbath as was Jesus. This proves that he never even appeared to break it, much less did he actually teach against it. Paul, in reality, kept more of the laws of the Sinaitic Covenant than he had to (Acts 21:17-27), so obviously he kept the Sabbath which was considered so much more important. Paul was not lying or giving witness to something that was not true. James was not fooled. Acts 21:24 is true: that is what Paul did—he kept the law even to the extent of "the customs." So it is plain he also kept the Sabbath. We can be absolutely sure that the Jerusalem Church kept the Sabbath. James and the others had favor with the people—even priests obeyed the faith (Acts 2:47; 6:7). This would have been utterly impossible if the Church had been meeting on Sunday (or any other day) and breaking the Sabbath. If that had been the case, it would have been mentioned as the major accusation against and problem for, the Church. The Church was indeed persecuted by the religious leaders of the day, but not for Sabbath-breaking.
Certain scriptures in Paul's writings are often adduced as proof of his alleged attitude that Sabbath observance is unnecessary or even evil even though Paul states emphatically in Acts 24:14 that he keeps he law which would include the Sabbath. For example, it is often held that Romans 14:5-6 show that it does not matter which day one keeps holy, but the Sabbath is nowhere mentioned in this chapter. It is believed that worshippers of the true God both Jews and Proselytes had developed a debate about which days were best for fasting for spiritual growth. The Sabbath is a feast day so they would not have chosen that day to fast. Others felt that being a vegetarian was more spiritual. This explanation fits the context of Romans 14 since eating is mentioned several times in the passage. Verse 5 speaks of esteeming one day above another but says nothing about the reason for the preference. The word "esteem" (Greek krino) is not otherwise used of keeping a holy day. Similarly, in verse 6, the word phroneo ("regardeth," KJV; "observes," RSV) is not otherwise used to refer to the observance of festivals like the Sabbath. To use this passage as proof that Paul no longer believed Sabbath observance to be necessary requires proving that this was the issue at hand. Paul makes no such statement.
The reference to "days, and months, and seasons, and years" in Galatians 4:10 is frequently applied to the Jewish Sabbath and holy day observance. To assume this is not to rely on the evidence. Why does Paul speak of their "turning back" to the "weak and miserable stoicheia or elements" (v. 9)? These Galatians do not seem to be former Jews, since they are receiving circumcision— something Jews would already have. One would assume they are going back to their former pagan conditions.
Further evidence is found in the vocabulary here. Why would one speak of "days" (hemerai), "months" (menai), "seasons" (kairoi) and "years" (eniautoi), if one had the Old Testament festivals in mind? One would expect to see "Sabbath," "festival days" (heorte), or similar words but not vague references to "days" and problematic and unspecified comments about "seasons" and "years." It is strange that Paul manages not to use a single normal word for the weekly or annual celebrations, if that is what he had in mind. We can only conclude that the passage cannot legitimately be used as evidence of Sabbath abolition. Indeed, in the Gentile world, up to one third of the days of the year were special in one way or another, with certain restrictions, etc. In addition, certain months were considered sacred. The Jews never observed any months. Colossians 2:16 is the first scripture to give a certain reference to the Sabbath and annual, holy days. Yet again we have a problem of background. We evidently have a pagan philosophers group exploiting the Church at Colossae. Certain ascetic practices of pagan philosophies are mentioned (Col 2:8, 18-23). Therefore, it is not surprising that Paul says, "Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink," since some people apparently were passing judgment. Of course, eating and drinking are only a "shadow" (forerunner) of what is to come, but the solid "body" (ultimate goal) belongs to Christ. Does that mean we should no longer eat and drink? Hardly Paul is showing that the ascetic practices some wished to enforce were of little real substance, any eating or abstinence is not the end but only a means to an end. A Sabbath observer could say the same about the Sabbath and holy days. They are—not were—a shadow of what is to come; and therefore are still important and necessary, just as eating and drinking are.
Could Paul be encouraging the Colossians who was being troubled by pagan Gentiles who were criticizing the new converts for keeping the Sabbath? Colossians 2:16 is transformed into a clear statement evidencing that Gentile Christians were keeping the Sabbath. How could they be criticized for something they are not keeping? What is absolutely certain is that Paul is not speaking against Sabbath observance. If he were teaching against the Sabbath in Colossians 2, the discussion in the New Testament would have been enormous. No such discussion or dissension exists. He is saying don’t let them criticize or judge you for keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days.
The fact that Paul expected Gentiles to keep the law is demonstrated in many scriptures throughout the book of Romans (e.g. Rom. 3:31; 7:12, 22; etc.) Romans 2:25-29 is especially interesting and direct, though often overlooked. Here uncircumcised Gentiles are admonished to be circumcised of the heart (v. 29) and to become Jews inwardly by keeping "the righteousness of the law" (v. 26) and by fulfilling the law (v. 27). Only with God's Holy Spirit, through Christ, can a human being fulfill the righteousness of the law (Rom. 8:4) and "delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22).
A comparison of the treatment in the New Testament of the law of circumcision and the Sabbath (the two great pillars of the Jewish faith in Christ's time) will illustrate a point. The Sabbath which is in the midst of God’s 10 commandments is clearly of more importance than circumcision. Why was circumcision the only one of the two debated in the Church? It is because keeping THE SABBATH WAS A NONE ISSUE. It was assumed as was the second commandment about having no idols or the sixth commandment against murder as being true. However circumcision of adult gentile converts was a wall discouraging gentiles from coming into the church. God was preparing the way for the church to become primarily gentile by having them circumcise their hearts not their flesh. This was also in accordance with the Old Testament (Amos 9:11 &Jer 4:4). The required conclusion must therefore be that Sabbath observance was both taught and obeyed by the early Church.
The Sabbath Day has two great overall purposes according to the Bible: 1) It looks back as a witness to the physical creation; 2) it looks forward as a shadow to the spiritual rest and creation. When God created the earth in six days and then rested on the seventh, this completed the physical creation. There is no more physical creation going on. The works are finished as Genesis 2:2-3 and Hebrews 4:3 attest. So the Sabbath Day looks back to that Creation, the week of the physical creation (Ex. 20: 11; 31:17). It is then a memorial, which helps us to remember the Creator who made everything. It keeps Him fully in mind every week. But God also has a great spiritual plan—a spiritual creation—which is now in progress (II Cor. 5:17). There is a new Creation, and the Sabbath also looks forward to that. Hebrews 4:1-II refers to a rest for God's people. It is a yet future rest that we are to strive to enter—the ultimate rest in the Kingdom of God. The seven-day week (v.4) is a picture of this spiritual week God has instituted. God rested—so man shall too. Therefore, the Sabbath day each week also, looks forward to that future rest—when the whole earth shall be at rest—when all shall be taught the way of God. Hebrews 4 shows this clearly and verse 9 is particularly relevant. It says, "There remaineth therefore a rest [sabbatismos—"sabbatizing"] to the people of God." So, because of the future rest (katapausis) spiritual Israel is to enter, there remains for us a sabbatismos or “sabbatizing.” This means that we will keep that future Sabbath of millennial rest as we now keep the weekly Sabbath to look forward to it. A more accurate translation of Sabbatismos is Sabbath rest not just the word ‘rest’.
In other words, the Sabbath is both a memorial and a shadow. It is a memorial of Creation and a shadow of the coming future rest of God's people following the return of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath did not originate with the law of' Moses or with the Sinaitic covenant with physical Israel—so it does not pass with that covenant; rather it originated with Creation and looks back as a memorial to it. The Sabbath is also a shadow, looking forward to the yet future time of the Millennium paradise. And when that time comes, the Sabbath shall still be kept (Is. 66:23) although no longer as a shadow but as a memorial to the then contemporary reality of Christ's millennial rule.
It was a widespread belief in both intertestamental Judaism and the early Church that the seven days of Creation were an analogy of God's plan for man. This belief held that the first six days represent the entirety of human history in which man is allowed to go his own way under the sway of Satan the devil, and the seventh day on which God rested represents the millennial rest when God Himself sets up His own rule and Kingdom over the earth.
Moreover, two New Testament passages refer explicitly to this future Kingdom. Revelation 20:1-10 describes a time when Jesus Christ Himself returns to the earth and has Satan bound. The righteous will rule. The time of this rule is specifically described as "a thousand years" (vv.4, 6). As we have seen, Hebrews 3:7-14; 11 draws a lengthy analogy with the Sabbath rest which physical Israel had never entered into. Christians have a chance to enter into this rest if they do not harden their hearts as the Israelites did. In Hebrews 4:9 this eschatological rest is explicitly connected with the seventh-day Sabbath rest.
For example, Isaiah 66:10 ff describes the restoration of Jerusalem as the capital of the world and the rule of God, over all nations. The righteous are vindicated and rebellions punished. Verse 23 states "From one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." Sabbath worship is envisioned for all peoples, not just for Israelites. Ezekiel 40-48 describes Israel and the future Temple in prophetic vision. Regular observance of the weekly Sabbath and other holy days shall be established. The Passover and Feast of Tabernacles are discussed in 45:21-25. The weekly Sabbath is mentioned in 44:24; 45:17; 46:1, 3,4,12.
Christians must keep the day in the spirit. And a true spiritual understanding of the meaning and purpose of the obviates the need for detailed regulations; indeed, detailed regulations cannot substitute for a proper spiritual understanding. The Sabbath is a special day, a holy day, a day specifically devoted to God and to spiritual matters. It is not a day for regular business (Is. 58:13) but a time to turn from the cares and concerns of the mundane life to the things of God. It is a day in which to rejoice, to enjoy, to rest and have time for God and for one's family. The concept of rest does not mean inactivity though, since spiritual activity is quite important. Physical activity per se is not prohibited since certain kinds may be conductive to a better observance of the day (Mt. 12:1).
Jesus' example of doing good on the Sabbath is a farther indication that physical activity as such is not prohibited (e.g. Mt. 12:9-13; Jn. 9:1-14). Doing good by helping others is very much in keeping with the intent of the Sabbath. Doing one's normal business, earning a living, becoming burdened with the mundane cares of daily life, following purely physical pursuits to the exclusion of spiritual ones, or regularly participating in activities which prevent the needed rest of mind and body, are contrary to the purpose of the Sabbath. These all defeat its very intent—the reason why it was given to man—because they do not generate the benefits that the Sabbath was created to give.
The most important declaration regarding Sabbath Observance was Jesus' statement that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:27). God created the Sabbath day to serve man—not vice versa. Man was not intended to the enslaved to a period of time. Sabbath observance should not be allowed to become an end in itself. Rather, the day is to serve and help those who observe it.
We should also more formally show honor and worship to God by assembling with His true Church on His Sabbath. The Sabbath is called a "holy convocation" (Lev. 23:3). The book of Hebrews states that God's Church must not neglect "to meet together" (Heb. 10:25). J. B. Phillips translates this verse: "And let us not hold aloof from our church meetings."
Keeping the Sabbath in its full spiritual intent is a means of developing and demonstrating godly love. It is also a solemn command from God, who wants only the best for His creation. Physically and mentally, the Sabbath renews the body to do more in six days than could be done in seven without such rest. Spiritually, it shows respect and love toward God. God's Sabbath is surely "for men" (Mk. 2:27).
PLEASE READ THESE SCRIPTURES IN YOUR OWN BIBLE.
- ...Christ in the New Testament discusses HOW to keep the Sabbath not WHETHER to keep the Sabbath. Please read Mk 2:27-28.
- ...The Sabbath is a memorial of God’s creation since he rested on the Sabbath day and thereby made it holy time. Please read Gen 2:1-3.
- The promises given to the seed of Abraham in the New Testament go to the followers of Christ. Please read Rom. 8:6-8 and Gal 3:29.
- ...All gentiles’ converts were instructed after agreeing to certain health, cleanliness matters to go to services every Sabbath to hear the Bible read which consist only of the Old Testament in this period. Please read acts 15:19-21.
- ...Paul kept the laws of God which would include the Sabbath and had gentiles keep the Sabbath as well. Please read Acts 13:42-44 and Acts 24:14.
- ...A Sabbath rest remains for the New Testament Christians. Please read Heb. 4:4-11, focus especially on vs. 9.
Please answer the following questions before proceeding to Lesson Three.
- The New Testament discussions about the Sabbath revolve around how to keep it not whether to keep it true or false? (True)
- The basic New Testament scripture on how to keep the Sabbath is ____? (Mark 2:27-28)
- The weekly Sabbath celebration serves as a reminder that ___?
- a. Association with other is fun..
- b. God is Creator. (B)
- What verse tells us that God hallowed the Sabbath by resting on it? (Gen 2:2-3)
- The Hebrew word translated ‘Sabbath ‘means to rest, stop or cease, true or false? (True)
- The weekly Sabbath predated the covenant with Israel, True or False? (True)
- Israel was commanded to remember the Sabbath because they had forgotten it (since it had been in existence since the beginning of mankind), true or false? (True)
- Ro 9:6-8 Says that in these New Testament times the seed of Abraham and the promises go to the followers of Christ, not physical Israel. See Gal 3:29. Is this an accurate understanding of the New Testament, Yes or No? (Yes)
- The ministerial conference of Acts 15 did not discuss the abolition or altering of the Sabbath, why?
- a. It was an unforgivable oversight.
- b. It was never an Issue. No one had even considered such a vast change of God’s law. (B)
- What scriptures records Paul the apostle to the gentiles telling an all gentile audience many years after Christ death to meet him on the next Sabbath? (Acts 13:42-48)
- The New Testament writer referred to Saturday as THE Sabbath. This is important because___?
- a. It is not common for Gentiles society to refer to the seventh day of the week this way. It proves they still honored the day.
- b. They were confused.
- The Apostle to the gentiles Paul was constantly being attacked by others Jews who said he was teaching against the Law. Acts 21:20-21 clearly indicates that these accusations were false. Why then if he taught another Sabbath day was he not accused by Others Jews of Sabbath breaking?
- a. The critics could never discover that all these churches started by Paul were keeping according to the Law the wrong day, Sunday.
- b. Because Paul vigorously kept all the laws of God including the Sabbath as he asserts clearly in Acts 24:14. (B)
- Paul’s remarks in Romans. 14:5-6 is not a casual method of altering God’s laws. The Greek word translated ‘esteem’ (Krino) is never used for Sabbath keeping, true or false? (True)
- What verses prove that the discussion in Col 2:16-17 is a discussion of Pagan ascetic philosophy?
- a. The former Pagans knew nothing of Pagan ideas.
- b. The remainder of the chapter vs. 18-23 and the entire context of the chapter (vs. 8) demonstrate this beyond a doubt. (B)
- The Sabbath rest is an analogy of God’s plan in what ways___?
- a. God uses no analogies or types or antitypes.
- b. First the Sabbath looks back to God’s rest and his creation. Secondly the Sabbath looks forward to the 1000-year rest of all mankind after 6000 years of turmoil in this present evil world. (B)
- What New Testament verse clearly states that a Sabbath rest remains in effect for the people of God.
- a. No such verse exists.
- b. Heb 4:9, also see vs. 4 thru 11. (B)
