The Christian Sabbath
God rested on the Seventh day as an example to us that we should work hard, and also rest and worship. The commandment was given to Israel, "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord." (Exodus 20:9,10) In our day it seems that we want to work a few days and then spend the rest of the days on our own desires.
In the Old and New Testament times God has kept this principle: Work six days and rest and worship one day each week. Exodus 31:17 says that the Sabbath "Is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, and on the Seventh Day He rested, and was refreshed." So the Seventh Day Rest became more than just the fourth commandment. It became a special sign for His chosen people, the Jews. As we know , the Jews hold to this Sabbath Day even today! So we can conclude that God has a covenant with the Jewish nation to maintain some kind of Sabbath day, being the seventh day of the week, Saturday. Remember also that it was based on the Creation Sabbath, and given as a sign to the Jews. The Sabbath day was even held during the New Testament times, as we see in the Gospels.
The Sabbath day is important to God. In Ezekiel 20:13 God says, "And my Sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them." Notice that there were many more Sabbaths that God had with the Jews, but we see how God feels about the Sabbath Day! Of course they were under the Law. Yes there were many laws to be obeyed, but it seems that the Sabbath Day was a special day for God's people to come to the temple, offer sacrifices, pray, and worship God.
Now that we have that settled let's think about the Christian Sabbath. Of course it is not a law set down as the Jewish Sabbath was. But just as the Lord set a Sabbath Day for the rest and worship of the Jews based on the Creation, I believe that God has established a day for New Testament Christians to rest and worship based on the Resurrection and the New Creation. This day began with the Resurrection. Christ was raised on the first day of the week. Christians met that evening and God met with them. John 20:19 "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week" John 20:26 "And after eight days," (When talking about the Transfiguration Mark 9:2 says "After six days", and Luke 9:28 says, "About an eight days," - that was actually seven days - and so it is here !! If you count the day, Sunday as one day then the count would be eight. There is really no problem here, but I want to mention it in case you feel they met on Monday, which is NOT the case.) Jesus met with the disciples on the next Sunday night.
Other references to Christians worshipping on Sunday are found in: Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the Disciples came together." and I Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." Paul expected the Christians to meet on Sunday and asked them to take up a special offering, so when he got there they would not have to have a special "gathering" of money. Notice in v.3 he says that he will "Bring your liberality unto Jerusalem." It is mentioned in other places that Paul collected money for the poor saints in Jerusalem. This is mentioned in II Corinthians 9:7, also.
The Apostle John, " Was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." That's where we get the term the Lord's day for Sunday. So there is ample proof in the Bible that the Disciples of the New Testament worshipped on Sunday. It was never a question to early believers. The problem just arises to those who don't understand the Scriptures, or to those who don't want to take one day in seven to worship the Lord. Since I am a Christian Sabbath Day keeper, I get many complaints from Christians that I'm trying to put myself under the Law, and many other complaints besides that. But I testify here that the Lord has honored me for taking this stand and has blessed my family for it! Deuteronomy 6;4-7 "Hear, O Israel, The Lord thy God is one Lord (That's true for us as Christians isn't it?) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Maintaining a Christian Sabbath gives many opportunities to talk to the family about our responsibility to God as believers.
A Christian would do well to take one day in seven to make special for the Lord. It would be beneficial too, and a blessing, and pleasing to God. Some of the Old Testament rules for the Seventh Day Sabbath can help us establish a Lord's day in our family. Isaiah 58: 13, 14 is a good place to begin. "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
God says we should WORK six days. Of course that doesn't mean we have to work for someone else at our "job." But we can do many things during the week, in order to make Sunday a holy day for us. I often say that if a person works hard enough six days, he will be glad for the Sabbath rest. (Ha ha. That's supposed to add a little humor to this serious subject.) There was to be no commerce on Saturday in the Jewish homes. It would be nice if we as Christians would do our business during the week and use Sunday for rest and worship. Nehemiah brought revival to the Jews and wrote, "Some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should be no burden brought in on the Sabbath Day." Neh 13:19,20 The outside merchants didn't like this and came to the gates anyway. So in Neh 13:21 He said, "Why lodge ye about the wall? If you do so again I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath." I don't know how Nehemiah would have "laid hands on them", but they decided it wasn't worth it to find out. (Ha ha again) Nehemiah had already said in 10:31 "And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the Sabbath Day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the Sabbath, or on the holy day."
Jesus did give a good example of how Christians should feel about the Sabbath day in Matthew 12:1-12. "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." v.8 In verse 10 they asked Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?" Notice the plural "days", because the Jews had many Sabbath days, but Jesus talks about THE Sabbath day. Jesus says that if a man's sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, then he would pull him out. "How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath days." And he healed the man right then and there. I say this gives us insight as to how we should treat the Lord's Day. It is lawful to do right on the Sabbath day. Help your neighbor with his emergency, or whatever else happens that needs to be done, whether it is the Sabbath day or any other day. But the problem is that we find an emergency every Sabbath day. I tell folks that if your sheep falls in the pit every Sabbath Day, you should tie up the sheep, or fill in the pit! After all, we can't go on making excuses for not taking one day in seven to rest and worship if we feel that it is good for our Christian growth.
In Mark 2:27 Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." That verse helps me understand the purpose of the Christian Sabbath. God has a Day that is made for us. It is a day of rest and worship. We can choose to ignore it and still be Christian, but I have found in my life and the life of my family, that if we honor God, by keeping His day, that He will honor us! I Samuel 2:30
Therefore we can conclude that God has set down the resurrection day as our new Christian Sabbath Day to celebrate the New Creation and our New covenant of Faith in Jesus Christ. May we All Honor God, and we will find that He will honor us!
Your Friend in Christ,
Rev. Walter Ray