“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 ...”
Exodus 20:8-10
FACTS
It is clear that sabbath of the Ten Commandments is Saturday, the 7th day. There is no record of the Sabbath being changed to Sunday.
Sunday is not the sabbath.
No where in the New Testament are Christians commanded to keep the sabbath.
It was a special covenant between God and the Jews.
The New Testament Christians met on the first day of the week (Sunday).
Acts 20:7, “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.”
1 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.”
Revelation 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,”
SABBATH WAS A CEREMONIAL LAW
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were never commanded to keep the sabbath. Nehemiah 9:13-14 says: “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:”
SABBATH WAS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND GOD
Ezekiel 20:12, “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.” Exodus 31:12-17, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 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 sabbath was to keep a difference between God’s people and the world. For instance, thou shalt not murder was a command to everyone, while circumcision was given only to the Jews. Deuteronomy 5:15, “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.”
THE SABBATH WAS NOT WRITTEN IN THE HEART
Heathens in darkest Africa know by the conscience God has given them that it is wrong to murder. The sabbath is not a moral law. God wants our hearts. If a person lost track of what day of the week it was, he could never keep the sabbath. How could you keep it if you crossed the International Date Line?
OLD TESTAMENT LAWS REGARDING THE SABBATH INCLUDED STONING SABBATH BREAKERS
Exodus 35:2, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.” Religions today still use their ovens and cook on that day. That is also inconsistent.
THE OLD TESTAMENT SABBATH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH CHURCH
Exodus 16:29, “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.”
NOT ONCE ARE NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANS COMMANDED TO KEEP THE SABBATH
When Jesus repeated the Ten Commandments, He did not list the sabbath. Jesus received the most criticism over His not observing the sabbath. Man’s sins are mentioned in Galatians 5, but sabbath breaking is not listed.
JESUS FULFILLED THE SABBATH
Colossians 2:10-17, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in 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 days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Jesus fulfilled all the ceremonial laws which were a picture of Him. HE WAS THE SABBATH!
Galatians 4:9-11, “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.”
Jesus is our Rest. We no longer have to think we can work our way to Heaven. Our soul can have rest in Him. Hebrews 3-4 speak of the rest Jesus gives at salvation.
PHYSICAL REST
God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day. John 5:17-18, “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” There is a practical application for Christians today. We are to rest and have diversion one day a week. One preacher said, “come apart for awhile or you’ll come apart.”
THE SABBATH IS ALSO A TYPE OF HEAVEN
Hebrews 4:9-10, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” Our bodies will never grow tired in Heaven. Hebrews 3:18-4:2 says, “And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Christians have a sabbath in their heart—rest because of salvation by faith.
WHAT ABOUT SUNDAY?
Christ arose on Sunday. Christ appeared to the disciples on two consecutive Sundays as they assembled together. The New Testament Christians began worshipping God on Sunday.
