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I
am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
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Psalm
52:8
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Is a Sabbath Commanded
for Christians?
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Then
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, The Biblical creation account, which describes the six days of God’s creative endeavors, concludes with the establishment of the divinely sanctified rest on the seventh day. Yet in our modern world, the vast majority of people who call themselves Christians reject Sabbath-keeping. Those who do cling to a Sabbath, generally substitute the first day of the week, in place of the Biblically-mandated seventh day. Even among those who do keep the seventh-day Sabbath, few understand its observance to be one of the defining requirements for Christianity. Clearly, the bulk of those who claim Christianity attach little or no importance to the divinely instituted day of rest. Indeed, as mortal men, we may choose to deny any great significance in a rest day; but is ours the determining opinion? The essential question is: “What does the heavenly Creator have to say about these practices, carried on in His name?” Is a Sabbath commanded for Christians? If so, which day must we observe as God’s Sabbath? Can any be true Christians, apart from Sabbath-keeping? Our Biblical exploration of this vital topic will take us to some New Testament passages which reveal a surprising truth about the origins of the 7th day Sabbath!
Before we begin in the New Testament, however, let’s pause for a moment to recall the Genesis account of creation, which is familiar to most of us. We find its events summarized within the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11) “The Lord” made the heavens and the earth. Most of us assume that this means that the Father is the one who carried out the actual work of creation. To be sure, in Ephesians 3:9, we find the Father referred to as “God, who created all things.” Commonly, it is presumed that the Sabbath was a command only of the Father, and that it has been now abrogated through the worship of the Son. However, as we continue to search the Scripture, we find an astonishing New Testament truth which contradicts that mistaken presumption. The irrefutable fact is: Jesus Christ was the one who rested from His works, creating the 7th day Sabbath! Several New Testament passages unveil this amazing reality: 1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:1-4) Yes, God the Father is rightly called the Creator; yet it was through the Son Jesus Christ that the work was actually conducted. The Father delegated these tasks to the Son: 9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (Colossians 1:9-18) 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1 Corinthians 8:6) 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified* about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 1:1-18) What a wonderful truth for us to come to understand! According to the will of His Father, our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ – rested, blessed, and sanctified the Sabbath for our benefit. Jesus is the very one by whom “the Sabbath was made for man.” How rightly Christ proclaims Himself “Lord of the Sabbath.” (See Mark 2:27-28)
What then, about the suggestion that the Sabbath has been abolished in Christianity? As unlikely as it would seem, might Christ have come to abolish the Sabbath which He created for the welfare of man? Is there no longer any benefit to resting from our daily works? Let’s consider Jesus’ instruction in this regard: 17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18) Christ is quite clear. He did not come to abolish the Law. Nothing in the Law passes away until it is completely accomplished. Is the 7th day Sabbath already accomplished in Christ – is it merely a relic of the past? In testing this theory, first we should return briefly to Mark 2, where Christ asserts His lordship over the Sabbath. Christ proclaims: "The Sabbath was made for man.” Therefore, logically, we must ask: Is mortal man still living and working on earth? Yes, of course. Then Christ’s statement remains: "The Sabbath was made for man.” Further, we read of both a present and a future representation of the Sabbath rest in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Here again, we find reference to the Sabbath’s institution at creation: 1Therefore,
let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His
rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
2For indeed we have had good news preached to us,
just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit
them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
3For we who have believed enter that rest, just
as He has said, Interestingly, in verse 9, the Greek sabbatismos actually means “a Sabbath-keeping.”[1] Additionally, in verse 10, we read that those who will enter the rest of God will be those who have rested, as God did – which, as is clear from the context, was on “the seventh day.” Obvious, too, and worthy of our utmost attention, is that the author of Hebrews, writing decades after the death of Christ, shows no indication of any replacement of the Sabbath with the first day of the week. If anything, the context of Hebrews 4 adds emphasis, specifically mentioning “the seventh day” as the divinely instituted Sabbath. Needless arguments have arisen in regard to whether this passage actually confirms a present observance of the Sabbath for Christians, or if it might refer only to a symbolic future Sabbath rest in God’s Kingdom. However, the contention is largely pointless. For the fact is, according to Jesus Christ, no aspect of the law is done away “until all is accomplished.” And, quite clearly from the above passage, there is a yet future fulfillment of the Sabbath rest. Thus we know with certainty that the 7th day Sabbath is not yet abolished. Colossians 2:16-17 is another well-known passage which has provoked unnecessary confrontation and confusion pertaining to Sabbath observance: 16Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17) Here again, we find added confirmation that the Holy Sabbath day (together with monthly new moon days and God’s annual religious festivals), foreshadows events yet to occur! NOTE: Most scholarly translations of the Bible concur that the Greek in verse 17, depicts the “shadow” as a present representation of what is yet to come. However, a few translations, including the NIV, erroneously force parts of the language into the past: “these are a shadow of the things that were to come.” We can be confident that the NIV rendering is a distorted and faulty translation of Colossians 2:17, by virtue of three facts:
15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:15-16)
First, however, we should look at one more passage which has been a point of confusion in the minds of some is found in Galatians 4, verse 10 in particular. Paul wrote to the Gentile Christians at Galatia: 8However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. 12I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; (Galatians 4:8-12) Paul fears for these Gentiles, who after coming out of the slavery of sinful paganism, seem to be turning back again to the weak and worthless things. What are these “weak and worthless” things? These former pagans are “observing days and months and seasons and years.” Are these observances a return “back again” to some form of paganism, or could Paul perhaps be criticizing Christians for the observance of God’s annual festivals, monthly new moons, and weekly Sabbath days? We have already discovered the future fulfillment of God’s special times, which, as we learned, ensures their ongoing applicability for Christians today. What other pertinent evidence is available to us regarding Paul’s statement?
In Colossians 2:16, the transliterated Greek is: heortay: “festival”; neomaynia: “new moon”; and sabbaton: “Sabbath.”[2] Conversely, in Galatians 4, the transliterated Greek is: haymera: “days”; mayn: “months”; kairos: “seasons” or “times”; and eniautos: “years.”[3]
1It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2You have become arrogant [phusiow] and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us celebrate the feast [heortazw], not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 6-8) Here Paul directly connects the annual Biblical festival of Passover to Jesus Christ – “Christ our Passover.” He reminds the Corinthians that they are unleavened. What does Paul mean by this? Could he be making what is merely a figurative, rather than literal, reference to the observance of the Biblical Festival of Unleavened Bread? By no means! For no one can sanely suggest that these weak Christians were figuratively or spiritually unleavened. Sadly, they were quite leavened – with the leaven of malice and wickedness, practicing incest beyond even the immorality of the pagan Gentiles. Paul orders them to “clean out the old leaven,” making it quite clear that their spiritual state is leavened. In the Greek, Paul’s term for the Corinthians’ leavened attitude (phusiow) is actually “puffed up” – like the action of leaven to dough – and is taken from a word meaning “bellows.” Thus, Paul charges them that as they are (literally, physically) unleavened for the festival, so they must also become spiritually unleavened. Significantly, heortay – “festival” – the noun form of the word which Paul uses here, is the same term which Paul uses in Colossians 2:16, and which is also used in Acts and in each of the four Gospels to refer to God’s annual festivals. Additionally, Paul makes a positive passing reference to another of God’s annual festivals in his epistle to the Christians at Corinth: 8But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; (1 Corinthians 16:8)
Let’s look ahead now to the joyous time which will begin when Jesus, the Messiah, reigns over the entire earth.
Prophecies of the Messianic Kingdom of Jesus Christ speak of all nations, Israelite and Gentile alike, observing God’s Sabbath. 18…the
time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And
they shall come and see My glory. 19“I will
set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to
the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal and
Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My
fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among
the nations. 20“Then they shall bring all your
brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD,
on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels,
to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the
sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel
to the house of the LORD. 21“I will also take some
of them for priests and for Levites,” says the LORD. Without doubt, God’s Sabbath retains an intrinsic and esteemed function within His coming dominion. Moreover, the above passage resoundingly debunks the old argument that the Sabbath is only for the Jews. We see that not just the Jews, but “all nations and tongues” – “all mankind” – will be worshipping God on His appointed times, including the Sabbath. Ezekiel, describing the operation of the temple during the coming Kingdom Age, explains for us some details of this future Sabbath worship: 1‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “The gate of the inner court facing east shall be shut the six working days; but it shall be opened on the sabbath day and opened on the day of the new moon. 2“The prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from outside and stand by the post of the gate. Then the priests shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 3“The people of the land shall also worship at the doorway of that gate before the LORD on the sabbaths and on the new moons. 4“The burnt offering which the prince shall offer to the LORD on the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish; 5and the grain offering shall be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs as much as he is able to give, and a hin of oil with an ephah. (Ezekiel 46:1-5) The prophecy below, from the pen of Isaiah, begins speaking to the present end-time age, before Christ’s Kingdom: 1Thus
says the LORD, When is it that the Lord’s salvation is “about to come”? It is now, in the present end-times, before the return of Christ, who “having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” (Hebrews 9:28) Today, while we await Christ’s return, we have both a mandate from Almighty God to keep from profaning the Sabbath and a promise of blessing if we will do so. God says: “How blessed is the man who does this.” Going on, Isaiah’s prophecy proclaims a wondrous vision of Sabbath observance in the Christian Church, moving forward on into Christ’s coming Kingdom. Never before have eunuchs or uncircumcised Gentiles been authorized to worship within the walls of God’s temple. (See Deuteronomy 23:1; Exodus 12:43-48; and Ezekiel 44:6-7.) Never before has the temple been a house of prayer for all peoples: 3
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, In Christ’s Kingdom, everyone who keeps from profaning the Sabbath and holds fast God’s covenant will welcomed within the temple. For the first time in history, God’s house “will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” While we are paging through the Old Testament, let’s remain to briefly scan the importance of the Sabbath, relative to other of the Commandments.
Who among professing Christians today would openly and completely defend all forms of rape, stealing, or coveting? Not many, to be sure. In fact, perhaps the question itself seems rather odd. Why would anyone who claims to be Christian defend any of those behaviors? On the other hand, how many professing Christians today openly and completely defend profaning the divinely instituted 7th day Sabbath? To which of these violations does God attach the greater importance? The penalties which God established for these offenses serve to give us insight. First, let’s consider the forced rape of an unattached virgin: 28“If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, 29then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days. (Deuteronomy 22:28-29) For this abuse, the perpetrator may receive quite a lot more than he had hoped for, but he does live on. Next, let’s consider stealing – quite a common crime in many societies: 1“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. 2“If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. 3“But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4“If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double. (Exodus 22:1-4) Here again, we find just and demanding consequences, yet the thief is granted his life and the potential for eventual recovery as a productive member of society. Now, let’s consider covetousness. Being a sin of the heart, it is difficult to prosecute, except by means of the honor system which God ordained: 27‘Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed. (Leviticus 4:27-28) Overwhelmingly, we tend to agree that rape, stealing and covetousness are improper. On the other hand, what about Sabbath-breaking – a practice common to over a billion people who claim that they are Christians? What penalty does Almighty God ascribe to Sabbath-breaking? How does that penalty compare to God’s punishments for these other violations? God’s answer may surprise you: 14’Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. (Exodus 31:14-15) 2“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. (Exodus 35:2) God has placed Sabbath-breaking among the capital sins of the Bible. Are we willing to acquire His mind on this subject, or will we persist in human thinking? Unlike stealing, raping an unattached virgin, or coveting, profaning God’s Sabbath is punishable by death! Apart from Christ’s atoning sacrifice for this grievous sin, there is no reprieve. Another insight into the relative importance of the Sabbath can be gleaned from the Exodus account. Most of us know that God directed Moses and the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness, after delivering them from Egypt. Many of us may also be aware that the Ten Commandments, recorded in Exodus 20, were proclaimed at Mount Sinai within a few months of the Israelites’ departure from Egypt. Yet have we focused upon the following significant fact? With great emphasis, even through miracles, God re-established Sabbath-keeping among His people before the making of the Old Covenant at Sinai. The Biblical account is found in Exodus 16, after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, and approximately two weeks before they would enter into the wilderness of Sinai, where the Ten Commandments would be proclaimed. (Compare Exodus 16:1 and 19:1.) What a fascinating series of miracles God performed to teach this spiritual imperative: 4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. 5“On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?” (Exodus 16:4-7) In addition to the miracle of the manna itself, God would miraculously provide a double portion to be prepared on the sixth day, ahead of the Sabbath! The absorbing events continue: 13 …in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16“This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” 17The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. (Exodus 16:13-18) In another miracle, God ensured equal portions for all who made the effort to gather! Yet stubborn men are slow to cooperate: 19Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt. 22Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” 24So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. (Exodus 16:19-24) Again, God provides wonders. Above and beyond the miraculous double portion provided on the sixth day, the normally perishable manna did not spoil when kept over for the Sabbath! 25Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26“Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.” 27It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. (Exodus 16:25-27) Directly contrary to God’s instructions, some carnal Israelites went out to gather food on the Sabbath. And once more, God performs a miracle, emphasizing the sanctity of His holy Sabbath. What will our response be to God’s Sabbath command? 28Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? 29“See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:28-30) Will we rest on the Sabbath day which our loving Lord and Savior has given us, for our benefit? Or will we, too, refuse to keep God’s commandments and instructions? Although there is much Sabbath information in the Bible that we have not covered, we have seen enough to recognize that God attaches particular importance to the Sabbath – through miracles, through prophecies, and through the penalty for its violation. Why then, is God’s Sabbath command the only one of the Ten Commandments which is commonly singled out for rejection and attack? We will come back to this question later as we go on.
From a variety of perspectives, entire books have been written discussing the Sabbath as it is recorded in the Apostolic Writings of Scripture. Without engaging in laborious analysis, let’s examine several significant points pertaining to the continuance of the Sabbath. As a preface, we should recall that the earliest New Testament writings are believed to have been penned around 49 A.D., almost 20 years after the death of Jesus. If the Christ’s death had annulled the Sabbath, this passage of time would have provided ample opportunity to reflect any such change. The apostles’ departure from requiring circumcision of the Gentiles created an immense uproar within the early Church. Considerable portions of the New Testament were necessarily dedicated to explaining that adjustment. We can only imagine how much greater an uproar would have resulted, had the Sabbath been significantly altered. Certainly, we could expect to find no less Scriptural documentation of such a momentous change as the realignment or renunciation of the 7th day Sabbath! Scholars who refuse to acknowledge this fact are either naďve or willingly ignorant. Not finding any renunciation of the Sabbath in the writings of the early Church, what are some things which we do find? In addition to the evidence which we have already mentioned earlier in this article, relative to the Sabbath, we discover a prophecy by Jesus, given hours before His death, which reveals an expectation of continuing Sabbath observance within the Church: 1“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. 2“They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3“These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. 4“But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. (John 16:1-4) This prophecy demands a continuing observance of the Sabbath. Being thrust out of the synagogue presupposes that Christ’s disciples would be continuing to worship within the synagogue on the Sabbaths, for so long as they were allowed. Indeed, “in the synagogues” is exactly where we find the early Christians, whom Saul (later renamed Paul) was seeking to persecute: 19“And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. (Acts 22:19) 10“And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11“And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. (Acts 26:10-11) Worshipping in the synagogue on the Sabbath is also where we find Paul, as a deeply converted Christian apostle: 13Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” (Acts 13:13-15) 1Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, (Acts 17:1-2) 4And he [Paul] was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. (Acts 18:4) 8And he [Paul] entered the synagogue [in Ephesus] and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 19:8-10) Just as Jesus had predicted, Christians began to be pushed out of the synagogues. Christ’s warning would have no relevance if His disciples had already gladly chosen to depart from the synagogues’ Sabbath worship. Further, years after the death of Christ, Paul defends himself before the governor Felix, and later, before Felix’ successor Festus, with sincere affirmations that no Sabbath-abandoner could ever utter: 13“Nor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me. 14“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16“In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17“Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been purified, without any crowd or uproar… ( Acts 24:13-18) 7After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove, 8while Paul said in his own defense, “I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?” 10But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. (Acts 25:7-10) Defending himself against the Jews’ accusations, Paul plainly proclaimed that he had committed no offense against the Law of the Jews. Clearly, Paul was no Sabbath-breaker! Nor had Paul abandoned teaching the Sabbath. He openly professed to serve God, professing to believe everything “that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets.” “The Law and the Prophets” was the common term for most of the Biblical books which we ordinarily refer to as the “Old Testament.” Even the Church’s adjustment regarding Gentile circumcision, spearheaded by Paul, was founded in the Old Testament Scriptures: 13After
they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren,
listen to me. 14“Simeon has related how God first
concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people
for His name. 15“With this the words of the
Prophets agree, just as it is written, What do we have here? Gentiles are excused from circumcision, but must immediately cease from idolatry, from promiscuity, and from certain widespread dietary abominations. Those who have suggested that this short list is to be taken as the totality of God’s requirements for Christian Gentiles are egregiously mistaken. Neither murdering nor stealing is included in this list. Are Gentile converts then allowed to murder and to steal? Of course not. To suggest otherwise is simply foolish. Obviously then, in context, this short list is intended to constitute the introductory requirements for those who were turning to God from the Gentiles. We must remember that this instruction was given at a time when Christians were still being allowed to participate within the synagogues (compare Acts 17:1-2; 18:4). Gentiles, too, were welcome in the Jewish synagogues.[5] Thus, these Gentiles would learn the rest of God’s law as they worshipped together with other Christians in their local synagogue on each Sabbath: “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” (Acts 5:21) Consistently, and here again, we find an expectation of ongoing Christian Sabbath worship in the synagogues – and in this instance, clearly pertinent to Gentile converts! Within the four Gospel accounts – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – other noteworthy facets of the Sabbath await our discovery. One interesting perspective can be gleaned at the outset from the number of instances that the Sabbath is mentioned, as compared to some other of the Ten Commandments. In the four Gospels, we find the Sabbath mentioned 50 times, while the sin of adultery is mentioned 20 times, false witness/false/falsehood/liar is mentioned 20 times, and coveting/lust 2 times.[6] In Luke’s account, there is deeply touching evidence for Sabbath-keeping surrounding Christ’s burial: 54It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. (Luke 23:54-24:1) It is difficult to read this passage without sharing the grief and intense distress of these devoted Christian women. A very pertinent question arises for the unbelieving: Why would Luke bother to report this moving and devout commitment to obedient Sabbath-keeping if the commandment were annulled? Wouldn’t that serve only to generate confusion and controversy within the Church? Moreover, every one of the four Gospel writers devotes space to Christ’s teaching that certain acts are lawful to do on God’s Sabbath. Here is a sample from each of the Gospels: 5“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7“But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:5-8) 1He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3He said* to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4And He said* to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said* to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3:1-5) 1It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. 2And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. 5And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” (Luke 14:1-5) 21Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel. 22“For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23“If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? 24“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:21-24) Why would Christ spend so much time teaching what is lawful for the Sabbath, if He were intending the Sabbath to soon be abolished? Why also would the Gospel writers bother to record Christ’s teachings, pertaining to what is lawful for the Sabbath, if Sabbath observance had been nullified long before these men wrote? Of course, these are merely rhetorical questions, because we have already conclusively established from Scripture, the continuance of the 7th day Sabbath.
In the New Testament, there are eight verses mentioning of the “first day of the week.”[7] This is in distinct contrast to the Sabbath day, which is referred to more than sixty times.[8] The discovery of Christ’s resurrection occurred on the first day of the week. With good reason, as soon as possible after the Sabbath, the women wanted to proceed with the embalming of Christ’s body. As we saw in Luke’s account: 56Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. (Luke 23:56-24:1) However, it is worth noting in passing that in the verses which mention “first day of the week,” the Greek does not always demand day one of the week, as much as it requires the less precise “first of the week.” The verses which mention of the first day of the week are as follows:
There is no clear or distinct indication in the New Testament of any substitution of the first day of the week for worship, in place of the commanded 7th day Sabbath. Rather, in Hebrews 4, as we found earlier, the emphasis remains upon the seventh day: 4For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 9So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:4, 9-10) Nevertheless, some have attempted to defend the abandonment of the Sabbath, or its substitution, claiming Romans 14:4-6 as support: 4Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:4-6) At a glance, apart from the context of Romans 14 and apart from the rest of Scripture, these verses might easily be taken in support of such a view. However, the Biblical obstacles to such a view prove insurmountable. First, we must remember all that we have already learned from the rest of Scripture: Christ said no part of the law would be abolished until it is all accomplished. The Sabbath foreshadows events yet in the future. Prophecies prove that the Sabbath is to be observed by the Church leading into Christ’s Kingdom, and by all nations in God’s Kingdom. Christ taught what is lawful on the Sabbath. As Christ had prophesied, New Testament Christians observed the Sabbath and worshipped in the synagogues on the Sabbath day. Next, let’s look at the context of Romans 14. What is the nature of the subjects being discussed? Is Paul admonishing Christians to not judge one another in reference to the commandments of God, or in reference to matters of personal opinion? How can we know? Let’s probe a little deeper, beginning with the verses which immediately precede the verses which we already quoted: 1Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. (Romans 14:1-3) The Greek dialogismos, which is translated “opinion” or “reasoning” in Romans 14:1 in many of the more modern translations, indeed “denotes, primarily, ‘an inward reasoning, an opinion.’”[9] Elsewhere, Paul demands that Christians judge one another in matters of sin and righteousness: 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. (1 Corinthians 5:12-13) Further, there is no evidence that these disputes have anything to do with observing or keeping God’s Sabbath! In fact, Paul’s choice of Greek terms in verse 6 strongly suggests to the contrary. 6He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord… (Romans 14:6) The word which is translated “observes” in this verse is neither of the Greek words commonly used in Scripture for “keeping” or “observing” the Sabbath and other of God’s commandments. Diversely, the word which Paul uses here is phroneo, which means “’to think, set the mind on,’ implying moral interest and reflection.”[10] This is in contrast to the Greek synonyms tereo and phulasso, commonly used in the Greek Scriptures to denote adherence to God’s commandments. These Greek words mean respectively, “to watch over, preserve, keep, watch” and “to guard, watch, keep watch.”[11] Phulasso, in its various forms, is the term used in the Sabbath commands of Exodus 31:13-16 and Deuteronomy 5:12 in the ancient Greek (Septuagint) Old Testament Sabbath commands.[12] Phulasso is also used by Paul in this same book of Romans, with reference to adhering to God’s law: 26So if the uncircumcised man keeps [phulasso ] the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? (Romans 2:26) Thus, Paul’s use of the much weaker term phroneo would be a most improbable choice to indicate Sabbath observance. Indeed, nowhere in the New Testament do we find phroneo used to indicate observance of God’s Sabbath. On the other hand, it is quite possible that these days, held to honor God by some Christians at Corinth, may have been the common fast days, which were traditional among devout Jews: “…a fast meant mourning (for sin, not for its punishment), and hence indicated humiliation, acknowledgment of sin, and repentance. The second and fifth days of the week (Monday and Thursday) were those appointed for public fasts, because Moses was supposed to have gone up the Mount for the second Tables of the Law on a Thursday, and to have returned on a Monday.” [13] Some Jews fasted every Monday and Thursday only “during the weeks intervening between the Passover and Pentecost, and again, between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the Dedication of the Temple.”[14] However, “the self-introspection of Pharisaism led many to fast on these two days all the year round…”[15] Indeed, these Jewish fast days were such a powerful tradition that they exerted a tremendous sway upon early Catholicism, which could not ignore them altogether. Rather, the predominating Jewish fasts were “paralleled in the church of the 2nd century in the exhortation to fast on Wednesday and Friday as contrasted to the fast on Monday and Thursday of the Jews.”[16] Vestiges of these fasts have persisted within Catholicism even to modern times, when into the 1960’s, public school cafeterias throughout much of the United States refrained from serving “flesh meat” on Fridays, serving instead only fish. Moreover, there is no evidence that the disagreements in Romans had a direct relationship to any requirements of God’s law. Carelessly, many scholars have assumed that Paul’s statement in Romans 14:14 is meant to suggest that all foods are acceptable for Christian consumption: 14I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (Romans 14:14) In their interpretation of this verse, these negligent scholars seem to forget that their theory conflicts totally with Acts 15, regarding the immediate dietary requirements which the Church established for the Gentile Christians: 20but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. (Acts 15:20) Therefore, it is utterly false to suggest that Paul intends us to believe that no foods are forbidden to Christians. Certainly, we see that things contaminated by idols, what is strangled, and blood are forbidden to all. Additionally, the Greek term for unclean, which is employed in the widely-used Septuagint for unlawful animal foods throughout Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, is akathartos. Akathartos is so utilized in the New Testament, referring to unclean birds, even as late as the Revelation to John.[17] (Akathartos is also used in Scripture of demons as “unclean spirits,” of spiritual impurity, and of the spiritually impure.) However, in Romans 14:14, Paul uses the Greek koinos, an unrelated and significantly diverse term, rarely seen in the Greek Old Testament, and which denotes merely “’common, belonging to several,’” or “’ordinary, belonging to the generality, as distinct from what is peculiar to the few.’ Koinos can also mean “profane,” and is used of unwashed hands in Mark 7:2.[18] Certainly, in his use of koinos, Paul alludes to a concern regarding some sort of profanation or defilement of animal products. Probably it is by method of processing or by feared contamination associated with idolatry,[19] as he addresses elsewhere in his writings. Speaking within the already established context of what is lawful, Paul instructs the Christians at Corinth: 25Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; 26for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. 27If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. 28But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; (1 Corinthians 10:25-28) Nowhere in the book of Romans does Paul use akathartos (the Greek word for unlawful animal foods). Thus, it is another error of carelessness to suggest that Paul would intend any comment upon the Biblical food laws recorded in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Without the use of the expected term akathartos, it is hardly conceivable that Paul would have expected his audience to arrive at such a radical conclusion. Consequently, while we may not have enough details to know precisely the subject of the disagreements in Romans 14, we do know that these were not matters of sin and righteousness, only that of personal opinion. There is NO Biblical basis for any presumption that Paul was diminishing the Sabbath or any other commandment of God. To the contrary, within this same message to the Romans, Paul relates: 22For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, (Romans 7:22) He rebukes Roman Christians who are breaking God’s Law: 23You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24For “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written. 25For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? 28For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. (Romans 2:23-29) Indeed, Paul equates lack of subjection to God’s law with hostility against God: 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8) These words of the apostle Paul cannot be minimized. Nor can we ever earn our salvation through our attempts at obedience. Indeed, Paul explains that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight,” “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” By God’s mercy, we are no longer “under the law,” which exacts its penalty of death, but under the saving grace of Jesus Christ, who paid that death penalty in our stead. 15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! (Romans 6:15) God will refuse to grant the gracious gift of eternal salvation to those who refuse to obey His law. In his final epistle, written shortly before his martyrdom, Paul admonishes us to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, including the reminder: |