Does God require Christians to observe a Sabbath day - a day of rest? If so, what day - Saturday or Sunday? Some religious groups say one thing, some another. What does the Bible say?
A New Covenant
When Jesus ate the last supper with His disciples and instituted a memorial of His death, Matthew writes, "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’" (Matthew 26:27-28). Jesus' death fulfilled and ended God's covenant with Israel through Moses, and it established God's covenant with all men through His Son (see Hebrews 8:13; 9:13-17).
The Old Law has been replaced - "nailed to the cross," as Paul put it. It is no longer in force. Its commandments are no longer binding on men. When a person writes his will, it is final and irrevocable until he writes a new will. The new will then becomes his "last will and testament," and the old one is no longer authoritative. In the same way, the Mosaic Law (the "Old Testament") was binding until it was replaced by the Law of Christ (the "New Testament"). That New Covenant in Christ is now our standard of conduct and worship.
The Question for Us
Is the Sabbath part of the New Testament? The laws for Israel concerning Sabbaths were part of the Old Covenant that was taken away. The New Testament repeats many commandments from the Old (e.g., against murder, adultery, idolatry, etc.). But it gives no Sabbath law. That means we have no mandate from God to keep the Sabbath as the Jews did. We have no more Divine authority for Sabbath observance than we would for animal sacrifices, burning of incense, or any other element of the Old Law, which "has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things" (Hebrews 10:1). "Therefore let no one act as your judge . . . in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ" (Colossians 2:16-17).
The First Day of the Week
The New Testament shows that the first day of the week - what we now call Sunday - is the special day of worship for Christians. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1ff.; Mark 16:9). The beginning of the church (when the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles, they preached, and some 3,000 people were converted) occurred on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff.), which fell on the first day of the week (see Leviticus 23:4-5,15-16). Luke writes of the disciples meeting on the first day of the week to "break bread," or observe the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7). Writing to the Corinthians about the collection for the needy saints, Paul instructed, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him . . ." (1 Corinthians 16:2). All of this points to the first day of the week - what we call Sunday - as the day for worship among Christians. Ancient historians confirm that this was the day on which Christians met to worship their Lord.
However, the New Testament does not equate the first day of the week with the Sabbath day of the Jews. That is, Sunday is not "the Christian's Sabbath." It is a day of great significance for Christians, the day on which we meet to observe Christ's memorial. And God expects us to assemble together thus for worship (see Hebrews 10:24-25). But He has not designated the first day of the week as a mandatory day of rest, as was the Sabbath day of old. As we observed, the Sabbath is not part of the New Covenant. Christ did not merely move the Sabbath to a different day; He removed it altogether. For men to demand of Christians on Sunday everything that God required of the Jews on Saturday is to bind where He has not bound.
Conclusion
The New Testament does look forward to a "Sabbath" yet to come - a time when we will rest from our labors. "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. . . . Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:9,11). That rest is the eternal peace of Heaven, and it is for the faithful, obedient people of God. Will you be there?
A New Covenant
When Jesus ate the last supper with His disciples and instituted a memorial of His death, Matthew writes, "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’" (Matthew 26:27-28). Jesus' death fulfilled and ended God's covenant with Israel through Moses, and it established God's covenant with all men through His Son (see Hebrews 8:13; 9:13-17).
The Old Law has been replaced - "nailed to the cross," as Paul put it. It is no longer in force. Its commandments are no longer binding on men. When a person writes his will, it is final and irrevocable until he writes a new will. The new will then becomes his "last will and testament," and the old one is no longer authoritative. In the same way, the Mosaic Law (the "Old Testament") was binding until it was replaced by the Law of Christ (the "New Testament"). That New Covenant in Christ is now our standard of conduct and worship.
The Question for Us
Is the Sabbath part of the New Testament? The laws for Israel concerning Sabbaths were part of the Old Covenant that was taken away. The New Testament repeats many commandments from the Old (e.g., against murder, adultery, idolatry, etc.). But it gives no Sabbath law. That means we have no mandate from God to keep the Sabbath as the Jews did. We have no more Divine authority for Sabbath observance than we would for animal sacrifices, burning of incense, or any other element of the Old Law, which "has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things" (Hebrews 10:1). "Therefore let no one act as your judge . . . in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ" (Colossians 2:16-17).
The First Day of the Week
The New Testament shows that the first day of the week - what we now call Sunday - is the special day of worship for Christians. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1ff.; Mark 16:9). The beginning of the church (when the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles, they preached, and some 3,000 people were converted) occurred on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff.), which fell on the first day of the week (see Leviticus 23:4-5,15-16). Luke writes of the disciples meeting on the first day of the week to "break bread," or observe the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7). Writing to the Corinthians about the collection for the needy saints, Paul instructed, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him . . ." (1 Corinthians 16:2). All of this points to the first day of the week - what we call Sunday - as the day for worship among Christians. Ancient historians confirm that this was the day on which Christians met to worship their Lord.
However, the New Testament does not equate the first day of the week with the Sabbath day of the Jews. That is, Sunday is not "the Christian's Sabbath." It is a day of great significance for Christians, the day on which we meet to observe Christ's memorial. And God expects us to assemble together thus for worship (see Hebrews 10:24-25). But He has not designated the first day of the week as a mandatory day of rest, as was the Sabbath day of old. As we observed, the Sabbath is not part of the New Covenant. Christ did not merely move the Sabbath to a different day; He removed it altogether. For men to demand of Christians on Sunday everything that God required of the Jews on Saturday is to bind where He has not bound.
Conclusion
The New Testament does look forward to a "Sabbath" yet to come - a time when we will rest from our labors. "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. . . . Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:9,11). That rest is the eternal peace of Heaven, and it is for the faithful, obedient people of God. Will you be there?
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