Gateway To Jesus Ministries - Bible Study #6. Average Reading Time: 15 minutes.
What is the Sabbath day and how should a Christian keep the Sabbath holy?
Does the Bible really say a Christian even needs to keep the 4th commandment at all?
Keeping the Sabbath or Sunday rest? Does it really make any difference when you do it?
Do you believe what your church teaches about the Sabbath or Sunday or do you believe God?
Does the Bible really say a Christian should still keep the commandments after they are saved by grace?
Let me say right up front that you will get no argument here about worshiping on Sunday . Absolutely none! Christianity believes the Lord's Day is Sunday when they believe Jesus was resurrected. Worshiping Jesus, who is our spiritual rest, on Sunday, is not only not prohibited in Scripture, but many examples show Christ's disciples meeting every Sunday after His resurrection. Spiritual worship is not in question here. It's not about worship, but rest!
I’ll get right to the point. What we are addressing is REST from work, not WORSHIP, two distinctly different things. The 4th commandment says NOTHING about spiritual worship. Not a thing! It's about physical rest, not doing ANY WORK of any type!
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, 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)
Now before you reject this simple truth plainly stated in the Bible, I'd like to point out the obvious that most Christians miss. Who does the Bible say created the time of rest, and who is it for?
Genesis 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he RESTED on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK that he had done in creation".
Scripture says GOD created the seventh day rest at creation.
The Bible does NOT say Moses created it just for the Jews.
GOD blessed this time and made it holy according to what the Bible really says. (Holy = blessed and set apart as special time.)
Does the Bible say Moses blessed it and made it holy just for the Jews?
Does the Bible say God blessed the First Day, Sunday, and made it holy?
Our Father, set ALL of us the EXAMPLE of resting from ALL our work on THE Seventh Day not one of our choosing, not the 6th, not the the 1st, but the the seventh. This alone answers the Sabbath or Sunday rest question, but there is more. God made this seventh day rest at creation. Even though He didn't have to, God physically rested at this time to give us an example, to show us what He wants us to do. This holy time is so special to God that He actually made it a part of His original creation of the universe and everything in it, including us. The seventh day is the time of rest actually created by God at creation, codified into law as the 4th commandment time of rest given by Him to Moses. Jesus really did tell His followers thousands of years later that...
"The sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27).
Not made just for the Jews, but for "MAN", all mankind. The Bible actually says,
"If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
And,
"He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21)
If you are a Christian, having accepted Jesus and are saved by His grace, loving Him above all else, this includes the 4th commandment for you to rest at the proper time to show Him your love! So why is the Sabbath or Sunday question even an issue? If what you believe about Sunday being the time of rest and the worship time for Christians isn't true, would you want to know it? Few Christians ever really study the Bible to PROVE that what they believe about observing Sunday as a holy time of rest is actually what the Bible says. Do you believe what your church teaches about Sabbath or Sunday, or do you really believe what it actually says in the Bible?
Before you can answer this question about the 4th commandment, you need to see what the Bible really says in the New Testament about keeping any of the commandments. Does the Bible really say a Christian should still keep the commandments after they are saved by grace? Please read this study on the 10 Commandments that answers these question before continuing this study below if you have any doubt about Christians keeping the 10 Commandments. Should Christians Keep The 10 Commandments?
Is the Sabbath Only For Jews, Or For Christians Too? Almost every Christian church actually teaches the fourth commandment in principle only. They interpret it as the fourth SUGGESTION rather than the fourth COMMANDMENT. The principle they teach is the observance of worshiping one day in seven. The fourth commandment is about rest. A Christians is free to worship on Sunday but should they still rest on Saturday. If you ask most preachers or ministers, they will say you are keeping the fourth commandment by worshiping on Sunday. Is this what the Bible says or is this their biased interpretation?
Jesus said, "the Scripture CANNOT be broken" in John 10:35.
Man cannot break Scripture. No church really has the authority to break Scripture by changing the Lord’s commandments. No one has the right to change what they don't like and try to make it say what it actually DOESN'T say! Here is what the Bible says about itself.
2 Timothy 3:16-17;"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work".
The Bible teaches about the true time of rest beginning in Genesis. This is what it plainly says.
Genesis 2:2-3;"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God BLESSED the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
The Bible actually says, "THE" seventh day, as "THE" day of rest, not "A" day of rest. It is "THE" Sabbath, not "A" Sabbath. This is what the Bible says in Exodus.
"Remember THE Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but THE seventh day is THE Sabbath of the Lord your God. .... therefore, the Lord blessed THE Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11)
It says nothing about Sunday!
Scripture never actually commands anyone to observe Sunday as a time of rest or worship! No other time of the week has been "sanctified" (Greek "qadash" ...to consecrate, dedicate, be holy, be separate) and blessed. Only God can make something holy. The Sabbath was set apart, consecrated and dedicated by God. It points to creation when God himself rested.
But doesn't the Bible actually say in Colossians 2 that we don't need to keep this time at all?
Colossians 2:16; "Let no man therefore judge you in the Sabbath Day".
This verse has falsely been used by many churches to discount keeping the Sabbath by Christians today. Was this a Sabbath or Sunday Rest issue? Paul explains here why these Gentile Christians in God's church in Colosse need not be bothered by the attitude of the pagan Colossian society around them toward their practice of resting on Saturday. Far from doing away with this holy observance, Colossians 2:16-17 is one of the strongest proofs that the early Christian church really kept it and that Paul taught the Gentile Christians to keep it. Paul was saying that they should not worry if their Gentile neighbors and friends judge them for resting when God commanded. The Colossians, a Gentile Christian congregation, were keeping the Sabbath as God commanded, in a generally pagan society! If they were not keeping it, why would Paul say that no one should judge them in keeping it?
Colossians 2:17, "which are a shadow of things to come"...
Here the Scriptures actually says that the Sabbath is, "a shadow of things to come". The Scriptures say it is a shadow, a symbol or "type", of future events. It is a "shadow" or "type" of the Millennium rest the world will have with Jesus as King. For something to cast a shadow it has to exist! Paul did not say that we should not keep this holy time anymore because it was a shadow of the Millennium rest with Christ, and no longer exists. The verse reads that the Sabbaths "ARE a shadow of things to come." It is not written in past tense. It does not say, "was a shadow of things to come". This indicates that this rest still exists and is something relevant today because it still has a FUTURE fulfillment of actually resting in the Millennium. The Apostle Paul insists to the church that nobody should feel a conflict of conscience when questioned by non-believers over the matter of resting on the Sabbath.
Why do most churches incorrectly teach Romans 14 is about Sabbath or Sunday Rest? What does the Bible really say?
"One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind". (Romans 14:5)
Instead of using a verse out of context to prove a belief that has nothing to do with what the Bible is speaking about, we should use what it actually says to INFORM our beliefs by looking at the scripture IN CONTEXT with surrounding verses. This helps us to really understand what we need to learn from what it is informing us about.
So, people shouldn't just quote what the Bible says in Romans 14:5 to prove we don't need to keep the 4th commandment because now we can rest any time we choose. We should really look at that entire section of Romans 14, from verses 1 and 2 which sets the subject matter, all the way through verse 10. Consider the true message here the Bible trying to inform us about?
Romans 14:1-10, "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
Is this about the 4th commandment, when to rest? Does verse 1 and 2 show there was some major Sabbath or Sunday dispute going on in the church at that time? No. That Sabbath or Sunday dispute doesn't happen in the church for several hundred more years. So what do these verse REALLY say?
The Scriptures shows this entire section of Romans 14 is about eating or not eating FOOD for spiritual reasons. In other words, FASTING! There had been a big dispute happening in the congregation of God's church at Rome at that time in history, among the gentile converts there regarding fasting. Paul is trying here to provide spiritual advice to end the attitudes of judgment and contempt they had towards each other. Paul's writing in Romans Chapter 14 revolves completely around a dispute which is doubtful, which according to the context involved fasting, not keeping the day of rest. The Sabbath was NOT in dispute or doubt at this time in Christian history. All Christians, even those who worshiped on Sunday, still rested on Saturday! There simply was no Sabbath or Sunday dispute!
FASTING is the real context! Romans 14 talks about fasting, not resting at a certain time. The word "EAT" appears 10 times in these 10 verses, The words "EAT" or "FOODS" appear 18 times in the whole chapter. Romans 14 really revolves around eating food, not resting. The words Sabbath, or Sunday does not even appear in this chapter.
If you are honest you can see in these 10 Bible verses that the context is clearly talking about fasting, not worship. It's disingenuous to try to make it say somethings it doesn't. In Rome there were weak, recent Greek converts who had come from paganism, who had worshiped their gods by customarily abstaining from eating food outright. They fasted on certain particular days. Still other converts refused to fast or abstain from foods on certain days anymore after becoming Christians. They esteemed all days in the same way! Verse 6 makes it clear, he who fasts, observes the Lord, he who doesn't fast, also observes the Lord. THIS was a conflict among the people that Paul was addressing.
Verse 2: Some recent converts thought they can eat anything on a fast day, that fasting was not necessary anymore at all. Other recent converts clung to their old beliefs but modified them and thought just eating herbs was OK when fasting, actually only giving up meats which may have been offered to idols.
Verse 3: Some converts really thought they could not eat anything at all when fasting.
Verse 5: Some thought they should still observe fasts, others thought all days were the same and they didn't need to actually fast at any particular time.
Verse 6: Some thought he who does not eat, fasting according to their beliefs, honors God. Others just as sincerely thought he who eats normally on a fast day still honors Him. (Hence the dispute.)
Verse 10: Paul wanted to make it clear that whether you fasted or not, it really didn't matter as Christians, it was okay, and that we shouldn't judge each other if we fasted or not.
How were some of the people observing this time of fasting? The key words here are: He who eats and he who does not eat. This is a specific reference to the spiritual exercise of fasting and has NOTHING to do with the false teaching that this was about a time of worship! If Paul taught his Gentile converts to regard this as a personal matter, the Jewish-Christians with Paul would have immediately attacked him for setting aside the Lord's Sabbath law. The fact that there is no hint what-so-ever of any such controversy or dispute here, or anywhere in the New Testament, indicates that Paul never encouraged Sunday keeping instead. Don't believe false interpretation of this verse by your church. They are wrong based on what the Bible actually says! When it comes to understanding what the Bible really says, context is EVERYTHING!
Some theologians try to contrive arguments that say the 4th Commandment time of rest was part of the Jewish ceremonial law that was done away when Jesus came, and Sunday is now the New Testament law. This is an assumption based upon false human reasoning, not based at in in what the Bible actually says! Nothing is mentioned anywhere in the Bible about the sacrifices or ceremonial duties of the law being connected with the ten commandments. The time of rest is part of the ten commandments stands by itself as part of the great spiritual law of God, not the physical rituals and ceremonies. The Jews today are required to keep the ten commandments! God gave them the commandments through Moses at Mount Sinai. Speaking of Moses in the book of Acts, Stephen says that God gave him the oracles, which are the laws of God. The Jews have been committed with the responsibility to be the record keepers of our Creators very words and laws. When referring to the Jews the Bible says this.
"This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us" (Acts 7:38)
What advantage then has the Jew,....Much in every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." (Romans 3:1-2)
The Jews have faithfully guarded the oracles, (or Words), of God even to the present time. They have never lost sight of the time of His Holy Time Of Rest because the Holy Spirit will not allow it. They are the guardians of His written law, words which were actually spoken to Moses, and Paul says were given to us, Christians! The Jews have faithfully kept the seventh day rest as God says. Regardless of any changes in any calendars, or decrees from any Catholic Pope, or orders from Roman Emperor Constantine, God has made sure that the Jews He entrusted with his oracles, His words, never lost sight of when in the week is really the fourth commandment time of rest. There can be only one fourth commandment. There can't be one fourth commandment for the Jews and one fourth commandment for Christians. There is one law for all! Jesus specifically said not even the smallest part of the law would change until heaven and earth have passed away.
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matt 5:18)
No interpretation can change what Jesus actually says! Heaven and earth are still here! The law is still here. Not one letter of it has changed. The fourth commandment is really still part of the great spiritual law and it has not changed! Jesus did not change his fourth commandment for Christians to Sunday while keeping it the same as it was for the Jews. That is an assumption not supported by anything the Bible actually says. The Jews, the keepers of the oracles of God, never lost the Sabbath.
The fourth commandment cannot be separated from the other nine commandments and be given special dispensation from literal observance. It carries the same weight of God's great spiritual law as the other nine commandments. A Christian is free in Christ to worship on Sunday, (or Monday, or Tuesday, or whenever), if they choose to do so, but they should still rest from their labors according to God's fourth commandment.
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:3-4)
Christians belong to their Creator! They show that love by obeying the commandments. The Bible says if you claim to be a Christian who knows Jesus as your Savior, yet you don't keep the fourth commandment, you are a liar and the truth is not in you. Those are pretty strong words to all Christians! You can't say you are a Christian if you don't do what God actually says! Jesus' commandments are the same as His Father' commandments. To those who say that Jesus' commandments are different than His Father's commandments given to Moses the Bible plainly says this. "I and my Father are one". There is no difference. There is no distinction. There isn't one set of commandments from Jesus and another set of commandments from His Father that apply to different people at different times. This assumption is utter nonsense! It is an affront to Jesus to say that He and His Father are divided in their teachings and their commandments.
"I and my Father are one". (John 10:30)
"Remember the Sabbath day , to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8)
NOT SUNDAY!
Without any interpretation the Bible plainly says "the seventh day" is the Sabbath! Christians should rest on Saturday, not Sunday! Worship on Sunday according to your tradition if you choose, but remember to keep the Sabbath according to what the Bible actually says!
If you want to know HOW to keep this special time and learn what can Christians do, read the study about “Practical Suggestions” (coming soon). You can see a list of activities that would be keeping with the spirit of what the Scriptures say. I'm sure you can think of many, many more.
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