Is the Sabbath—the seventh day of the week—binding upon the followers of Christ as it was on Moses and his followers?

 

For sometime, this question has been a great point of confusion and conflict among the religious people of our time. A vast number of sincere persons have been disturbed by it. The question obviously needs some reasonable discussion in the light of the scriptures.

 

The term 'Sabbath" is the Hebrew day of rest commonly known as Saturday. It was given to the Hebrew people on Mount Sinai.

 

The first reference in the Bible to the seventh day is found in, Gen 2:2-3 "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: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." It is not stated here that God sanctified (hallowed) the seventy day at the same time that He rested from all His work at the finish of the creation. What we have here is the joining of two distant events which makes it appear as if they had happened at the same time. A parallel to this is found in, Gen 3:20 "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." That was before the birth of her first child.

 

Still another case is found in, Mat 10:4 "Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him." It is made to appear as if Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus at the same time he was called to be an apostle. Actually the two events were separated by a period of about 3 years. So it is with Gen. 2:2-3: God's resting and the hallowing of the Sabbath day were separated by approximately 2500 years when God set apart the Sabbath as a day of rest for the children of Israel after their deliverance from the bondage in Egypt. Between these two events, there is absolutely no reference in Biblical history to any man—Jew or Gentile—observing the Sabbath for any purpose.

 

The Sabbath is next found in connection with the gathering of the manna in the wilderness in, Exo. 16:22 "And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." In this charge to the Jews, Moses does not remind them to keep a day that they had already been observing. His careful explanation plainly shows that the Sabbath was entirely new to the Israelites: hear him, "Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none," (Exo. 16:26). Verses 29 and 30 says, "See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day.

 

The reference to the Jews keeping the Sabbath in Exodus 16 was given in connection with the formal giving of the Sabbath law at Mount Sinai, where God made His perpetual covenant with the Israelites, giving them the ten commandment law. The fourth commandment reads, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it," (Exo. 20:8-11). This shows that the Sabbath law was not given to the Israelites until they were in the wilderness of Sinai after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

 

It is stated in, Neh 9:13-14 "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:" Nehemiah does not say that God reminded then of the holy Sabbath, but made it known unto them; proving that it was a new commandment. The same fact is stated by Ezekiel in, Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

Ezek. 20:11-12 "And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."

 

Moses declared, "The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day," (Deut. 5:2-3). The covenant Moses refers to here contained the Sabbath law, which is proved by verses 6-22 of the same chapter: these verses list all the ten commandments. Again we see that the Sabbath was not enjoined by God upon man as a day of observance until given to the Jews in the wilderness of Sinai.

 

Moses limits these commandments to the people named in these verses. Who are they? Those brought out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, the Jews, the fleshly descendants of Jacob. To these people, and to these alone were the ten commandments given.

 

Those today who call themselves followers of Christ, yet accept the ten commandments as their basic religious standard, have taken upon themselves that which does not rightly belong to them. They would do well to read and respect the limitations of the scriptures in the subject.

 

The following passages affirm that the Sabbath was given solely to fleshly Israel. "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day," (Deut. 5:15). Here we see that the Sabbath is described as being given to the Jews in commemoration of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It is without meaning to the Gentiles.

 

"Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them," (Ezek. 20:10-12). The Sabbath was a sigh between God and one nation only (Israel). It was never given to the Gentile nation.

 

The Sabbath Law Abolished

 

It was never the divine plan that the Sabbath should be kept as a holy day beyond the Jewish dispensation. We read in Exo. 31:16-17, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." The phrase, "throughout their generations," means the generations of the Jews. Those who keep the Sabbath raise the objection that the words "forever" and "perpetual" makes the Sabbath just as binding on men today as it was on the Jews. We answer this objection by referring to Exo. 12:14, "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever." Also the burning of incense was to be perpetual. "...he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations," (Exo. 30:8). Do they observe the Passover feast or the burning of incense? No, for even they admit these ordinances ended with the death of Christ, but they fail to see that the Sabbath law was to last on longer than the Passover and the burning of incense. They all stand or fall together.

 

The abolishing of the old covenant of which the Sabbath law was a part, was foretodl in the following prophecy: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more," (Jer. 31:31-14). The Hebrew writer declares that the new covenant promised by this prophecy is the covenant of Christ, (Heb. 8:6-7). In the verses that follow, the inspired writer quotes the words of Jer. 31:31-34, showing that the better covenant to which Jeremiah refers, is the covenant to which Christ is the mediator. Showing the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the covenant that God established. The Sabbath law belongs to the covenant that has been abolished, or done away with in Christ. Nowhere does the covenant of Christ bind the Sabbath law upon any man.

 

Sabbath-keepers draw the conclusion that there is a difference between "the law of God" and "the law of Moses." This conclusion is wrong because the scriptures do not make a distinction between the law of God and the law of Moses. Nehemiah positively affirmed this: "They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes," (Neh. 10:29).

 

Luke 2:24 says, "And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." This offering is mentioned in Lev. 12:8, the same part of the Old Testament which those who keep the Sabbath, call the law of Moses, yet, Luke says, "...it is the law of the Lord..." obviously then, the law of Moses and the law of God are the same. Notice in John 7:19: "...Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?" So, a distinction between the law of God and the law of Moses is not supported by the Bible.

 

The ten commandments were done away with in Christ. This is plainly stated in Deut. 4:13: "And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone."

 

Paul says in 2 Cor. 3:5-15, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart." Here is a clear contrast between the old and the new covenants. He clearly tells us that the old covenant ("the ministration of death"), was that which was "written and engraved in stones" was done away with in Christ, therefore, that which was "written and engraved in stones" is the ten commandment law of which the Sabbath is a part.

 

"Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all," (Heb 10:9-10).

 

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby," (Eph 2:14-16). The middle wall of partition which separated the Jews and Gentiles was the old covenant, which Paul says is, "the law of commandments contained in ordinances," the Decalogue. We have already shown it was given solely to the Jews. In order gather together both Jew and Gentile in one body (the church), the law of commandments contained in ordinances" was removed thereby removing the Sabbath law, (Col. 2:14-17). Listen to what Paul says in Gal. 4:21-31: "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." The evidence here is too plain to be misunderstood. The son on the bondwoman represents the followers of the old law given at Sinai, and Paul says they shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman.

 

Sabbath Keeper's Objections

 

Some of their objections have already been dealt with, but we shall look further.

 

Objection #1: The ten commandments were written on tables of stone by the finger of God, (Exo.31:18).

What does this have to do with keeping the Sabbath? They were also given in the writings of Moses, (Exo. 20:2-17). This simply proves they were a part of the law of Moses which was abolished. Let us consider the words of Jesus in, Mat. 22:37-40: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." These two great commandments of the law are found in Deut. 6:5, and Lev. 19:18, the same part of the ceremonial law which they admit was abolished in Christ. What a predicament this leaves them in: they are forced to the conclusion that these two important commandments of the law have been abolished, therefore, the Decalogue, which they affirm is still in force, is left without anything to hang on.

 

Objection #2: Jesus kept the Sabbath as an example for us, (Luk. 4:4-16).

Yes, Jesus kept the Sabbath, but not as an example for us. He was, "born under the law" (Gal. 4:4), and was obedient to it all the days of His life, because it was in force until His death. Not only did Jesus keep the Sabbath, but he also met all the requirements of the law. He was circumcised (Luk.2:21), and kept the Passover (Mat. 26:17-25). Should we keep the Passover and practice circumcision just because Jesus did?

 

Objection #3: Paul preached in the synagogues on the Sabbath, (Acts 13:14-44), and on the riverside at Philippi, (Acts 16:13-14).

It is true that Paul preached on the Sabbath many, many times, but this does not prove that he kept the Sabbath as a day of Christian worship. On the Sabbath many of the unconverted Jews still met in the synagogues, making it possible for Paul's preaching to have an extensive hearing. At the riverside, Paul was offered the opportunity of preaching the gospel to the women who were gathered there. Just because one preaches the gospel on Saturday does not prove that he is keeping the Sabbath anymore than his preaching on Monday proves the he is keeping the second day of the week as a holy day. Let them advance one example of an apostle keeping the Sabbath as a day of Christian worship and they have proven their case.

 

Objection #4: Giving warning to His disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, Jesus said, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day," (Mat. 24:20), therefore, this proves that the followers on Christ would keep the Sabbath during the gospel age.

Jesus did not have any sacredness in mind concerning the Sabbath when He told his disciples to pray that they would not have to flee on that day at the destruction of Jerusalem, anymore than He considered the winter season as being sacred. The Lord knew that it would be difficult for His disciples to flee in the winter because of the inclement weather, and on the Sabbath, because the Jews would have the gates of the city closed on that day.

 

Pentecost

 

Pentecost always came on the first day of the week according to Lev. 23:11-15. on the first Pentecost after the Lord's resurrection, the Holy Spirit was given; the church—the mountain of the Lord's house—was established; Christ was crowned as King of His throne; the word went forth from Jerusalem as the new covenant went into effect as prophesied in Isa. 2:2-3, Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:1-42. all of this took place on the first day of the week, declaring the honor God gave this day.

 

Assembly

 

The New Testament demands the assembling together of the disciples of Christ: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching," (Heb. 10:25). This passage does not reveal on what day the disciple were to come together, but a day is implied. Jesus commanded His disciples to partake of the bread and fruit of the vine (Mat. 26:26-28), and this was done when they assembled, (1 Cor. 11:20-34). On what day did the disciples assemble? The answer is found in the following: "And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight," (Acts 20:6-7). During the period at Troas, the Sabbath passed by and there is no evidence that Paul or any of the other Christians there in any way remembered, "the Sabbath day to keep it holy," however, they did remain seven days to worship on the first day of the week.

 

The Collection For The Saints

 

"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 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," (1 Cor. 16:1-2). The RSV says, "on the first day of every week." This is strong proof of the first day of the week being a day for Christians to assemble and worship. What more reasonable and convenient time for the disciples to make a contribution for religious purposes, than during a religious service, on the first day of the week? Some argue that the expression lay by in store asserts that the contribution was to be made at home, rather than at a religious service, however, the very purpose Paul had in view in his order to the church—that no collection be made when I come—would be defeated by the contribution of each Christian being laid up in his own house. Then Paul would have to go from house to house to collect what had already been collected. Only by the collection being put into a common treasury could Paul's instructions be carried out.

 

When we put all the facts together, we note the following:

 

1) the disciples were commanded to assemble, (Heb. 10:25);

2) they were commanded to partake of the bread and fruit of the vine, (Mat. 26:26-28);

3) a collection was made on the first day of the week, (1 Cor. 16:1-2).

 

The only example in the New Testament of the disciples coming together to worship their Lord in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24), is on the first day of the week, thus we can safely conclude that the first day of the week (Sunday) is the day set aside in the new covenant for all Christians to assemble and worship in remembrance of the death and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The above study was written by our beloved brother Emery M. McCallister.

 

Some Additional Thoughts

 

Not only is there no command or example in the New Testament directing Christians to keep the Sabbath holy, the apostle Paul directly forbids it! "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath," (Col. 2:16). Paul is instructing the Colossian Christians to not allow the Jewish teachers to impose these things upon them, as he has just said that they were taken out of the way and nailed to the cross of Christ (verse 14).

 

Those who demand that the Sabbath is the universal day for Christians to observe do not themselves keep it as God prescribed, for the following requirements were included in keeping the Sabbath:

 

1) They could do no work: "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." (Exo 20:9-10);

 

2) They were not permitted to build a fire: "Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day," (Exo 35:3);

 

3) They were not to prepare food on the Sabbath: "And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning," (Exo. 16:23);

 

4) They were forbidden to do any form of labor: " Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers," (Jer. 17:21-22).

 

5) They were to offer 2 lambs for a sacrifice: "And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering," (Num. 28:9-10).

 

6) They were not permitted to travel on the Sabbath: "See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day," (Exo. 16:29).

"Nicolaus of Damascus is a witness for us; who in his history writes thus: "When Antiochus had erected a trophy at the river Lycus, upon his conquest of Indates, the general of the Parthians, he staid there two days. It was at the desire of Lyrcanus the Jew, because it was such a festival derived to them from their forefathers, whereon the law of the Jews did not allow them to travel." And truly he did not speak falsely in saying so; for that festival, which we call Pentecost, did then fall out to be the next day to the Sabbath. Nor is it lawful for us to journey, either on the Sabbath day or on a festival day," (Josephus: Antiquities, book-13: chapter-8: paragraph-23).

The faults and inconsistencies of any and all man-made doctrines will always be amplified when compared to what the Bible says.