I have some dear friends that have become convinced in their hearts that the Sabbath is Saturday, and they believe Saturday observances are a critical and neglected aspect of modern religious practice.
Any student of Scripture has likely wondered this very thing. Is Sabbath Saturday or Sunday? Should Christians observe the Sabbath? Is this an issue on which we should take a stand?
The Sabbath is a critical part of Jewish religious faith. It’s one of the ten commandments, after all (Exodus 20:8). It existed before the law, modeled by God in His choice to rest on the 7th day and was a sign of the covenant with Abraham, again predating the law.
To say that the Sabbath was important is an understatement. It also was a source of frequent conflicts between Jesus and the religious leaders of the day.
However, what role does it play for Gentile (non-Jewish) believers?
I think maybe the most interesting writing on the Sabbath comes in the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 12:1-14 tells the story of Jesus allowing His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath, something strictly forbidden. The religious leaders were indignant, and Jesus follows up with more activity on the Sabbath, healing a man.
Matthew 11:25-30, the verses immediately before Matthew’s telling of this story, contain the beautiful phrase, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus was painting a picture here that the Jews would not have missed. We almost miss it because these two examples are in different chapters, but it’s important to remember that chapter and verse divisions weren’t in the original text. Matthew is telling us about the rest found in Christ then immediately proceeds to tell of Jesus breaking up the religious traditions associated with the Sabbath. If we want to find the true rest, it’s not found in a religious observance of a particular day, it is found in Him.
In case you feel like I am stretching the passage to say something it doesn’t, Paul makes it quite plain in another passage. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul writes, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.“
Let’s take a look at another key passage in this discussion.
Acts 15 showcases one of the chief debates in the early church, mainly whether or not Gentile believers should follow the law (which would include the Sabbath). At this point, Gentiles were being born again and joining the church, and the early church fathers were facing conflict in the body of Christ over whether Gentile converts should follow Jewish customs. The specific point of contention here is whether or not Gentiles should be compelled to be circumcised.
To say that this was an important issue to the Jewish people would be a serious understatement. In Acts 15:5, we’re told “Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
Ultimately, the council came to this conclusion in Acts 15:28-29, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meant of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.” As the apostles and elders, those who had walked by Jesus’ side, considered the necessity of adherence to the law, they summed it in a few simple admonitions.
Notice something that is missing entirely…adherence to the Sabbath.
What then do we do with the Sabbath?
If you read Romans 14 (in which Paul was addressing a myriad of issues including the Sabbath observances), you will see a guiding principle in this issue in verses 13-14: “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am fully convinced, being persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.”
Ultimately, Scripture does not impose Sabbath observances on New Testament Christians. However, if you feel compelled in your heart to follow that practice, you should do so. From a biblical standpoint, the question of Sabbath is a matter of your own conscience.
We should be careful though not to impose our own convictions onto others when God has not imposed that burden. It’s important to remember the admonition in James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Whether you observe the Sabbath weekly, whether you worship or Saturday or Sunday, focus on the reason for the Sabbath: the rest that comes in Christ! Let your observances, in whichever way you feel led, be focused on the all sufficient sacrifice of Christ!