The seventh-day Sabbath is taught and kept holy in accordance with biblical instruction. Instituted at Creation, reaffirmed to Israel as a part of the covenant at Sinai and taught by Jesus Christ who is the Messenger of the New Covenant, the observance of the Sabbath is considered basic to a Christian’s relationship with God.
Doctrinal Overview:
The Church of God continues to observe the seventh-day as did Jesus and the New Testament Church. The Sabbath was established by God at Creation week; it was made for man, reaffirmed by Jesus, taught by the apostles and kept down through the centuries by faithful Christians. The importance of the Sabbath in the Old Testament cannot be disputed. Its continued observance is exemplified in the New Testament which confirms Sabbath-keeping as a fundamental practice of Jesus and the apostolic Church.
The original twofold functions of the Sabbath in the Old Testament were not ceremonial. The Sabbath (1) provided needed rest for the body and the psyche; and (2) gave opportunity for closer contact with God through study and prayer. When God established Israel as His people, the Sabbath was utilized as the time for congregational services, a commanded assembly of all the people. These needs are still very much extant in the 21st century.
The weekly Sabbath celebration serves as a reminder that God is Creator by its regular memorial of the Sabbath of Creation. It also affords a view toward a future new creation resulting from God’s Kingdom on earth.
The most important New Testament statement on the Sabbath was spoken by Jesus Christ as quoted in Mark 2:27-28. Jesus not only affirms the Sabbath command, He also instructs us about its purpose. “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Thus, it is apparent that the Sabbath was made for man, for his spiritual and physical benefit. It provides the means for loving God to a greater degree by direct worship and, indirectly, by the spiritual renewal which enables one to keep up a constant direction of mind toward godly matters throughout the week. It is in our earnest attempt to express loyalty and love toward our Creator and to worship Him in spirit and in truth that we, as Christians, continue to keep the seventh-day Sabbath.
Doctrinal Exposition:
The English word “Sabbath” is basically an anglicized pronunciation of a Hebrew word meaning “rest” or “repose.” This Hebrew noun is itself evidently related to the verb “to stop, rest or cease.” This same verb is found in ordinary usage (e.g. Lam. 5:14, “The elders have ceased from the gate”). “Ceasing” is exactly what God did on the seventh day of Creation week. In the Hebrew, Genesis 2:2 literally says that God “sabbathed” –– ceased or rested –– on the seventh day from all His work.
By definition, the Sabbath is a weekly holy day, a solemn rest, an appointed feast, a holy convocation (Lev. 23:3). As such it is a period of time of approximately 24 hours reckoned from Friday evening sunset until Saturday evening sunset. The period of observation is borne out by the direct statement in Leviticus 23:32 on observing an annual Sabbath, “from evening to evening.”
Old Testament Period
The initial and cardinal passage about the Sabbath is contained in the Creation account which reads: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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” (Gen. 2:1-3).
Since from the beginning the Sabbath is associated with Creation week and specifically the creation of man, the Sabbath’s universal or cosmopolitan perspective sets it above any uniquely Israelite law and practice. The Creation Sabbath is presented in much the same way that the later prophets envisioned it-namely as an observance for all mankind, for the Gentile as well as for the Israelite. Therefore, while the Sabbath was later a functional part of the covenant at Sinai (Ex. chapters 20-24), its purpose and place are clearly much broader than that. (For example, Isaiah 66:23 shows that all nations will be observing the Sabbath during the millennial reign of Christ.)
The account of Exodus 16 shows the great importance God places on a specific period of time for the Sabbath. The true Sabbath could never be just one day, any day, out of seven. God caused special miracles to ratify the holiness of the Sabbath –– double the normal amount of manna was found on the sixth day and the extra manna did not spoil when left until morning as it would have on any other day. And when some Israelites went looking for manna on the Sabbath, God told Moses, “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?“ (v. 28). This statement is especially relevant since it took place before the covenant at Sinai, proving both that the Sabbath predated that covenant and that it is included as one of God’s commandments and laws.
Just as the Sabbath was commanded before the covenant of Exodus 20-24, so the Sabbath was also given as a separate covenant with special significance in Exodus 31:12-17. It is referred to as a “sign” of the special relationship between God and Israel. (Signs referred to elsewhere as evidence of covenants are: the rainbow in regard to God’s covenant with mankind, Genesis 9:8-17; and circumcision as a sign of the covenant with Abraham, Genesis 17:1-14.)
Why was God’s Sabbath day singled out in Exodus 31 as a sign? Because of its nature; many other nations kept some of the laws of God in one form or another. Some had fairly tight moral laws, usually criminal ones. But none kept the Sabbath day. It was the one law of God that would make Israel stand out. It would act as a sign to show that Israel was the nation of God. It would also keep Israel knowledgeable of God as Creator –– the one true God who made everything. When the nations of the ten tribes of Israel later gave up this Sabbath sign, they were lost to history. But the Jews continue to keep it to this day, and are known by it. It is even called “Jewish” by others. The Sabbath is the one commandment of the ten that will maintain a direct line to God.
Ezekiel 20:12 shows that God gave Israel His Sabbath as a sign for another reason as well: so that they would continually know who was the God that sanctified them. This shows that the Sabbath is a sanctified method of consecration. Certainly sanctification is even more important in the spiritual sense of the New Covenant than it was in the physical sense of the Sinai covenant. Consequently the meaning, impact and importance of the Sabbath in its widest spiritual intent under the New Covenant, far from being diminished, must in fact be intensified for Christians.
Since the Sabbath began at Creation –– not with the Sinaitic covenant with Israel –– and then was made a special sign in a covenant forever with Israel, we still know the Sabbath as God’s covenant with people today: it is still the same sign.
Once again, the purpose of the special Sabbath covenant of Exodus 31 was to earmark Sabbath observance as a distinguishing practice that would help identify God’s people among the world’s populace. Thus it served to differentiate the true believers from the nonbelievers, God’s people from the heathen, and not merely the civil Israelite nation from the Egyptian or Canaanite nations. Since the Sabbath was an important religious command of God, its observance helped to identify God’s religious system and not merely a civil system or ethnic group. For this reason this special Sabbath Covenant applies today, with the same spiritually binding significance for all who wish to become and remain a part of God’s true Church.
During the intertestamental period a great reawakening took place among the Jewish community with respect to the importance of God’s laws. One catalyst was the remembrance of the exiles; another was the slaughter and persecution brought about by Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century B.C. The Jewish community “built a wall” around the law by adding regulations far beyond the biblical statements in an attempt to make it “impossible” for anyone to even approach breaking the law: the example of the Sabbath is a classic one.
Hence, as we approach the time of Christ’s ministry, we find that the Sabbath, due to man’s sincere but exaggerated interpretations, had become not a joy but a burden –– something not originally intended by God. As a result, Christ had to set out to clarify the true “spirit” of the law.
New Testament Church
There is great emphasis on the Sabbath throughout the Old Testament. Much is also written about Sabbath observance in the New Testament. The emphasis changes, however, from a nationalistic system of communal Sabbath-keeping, fulfilling the letter of the law, to an individual responsibility of personal worship on the Sabbath, fulfilling the spirit of the-law. The issues discussed in the New Testament never deal with whether the Sabbath should be kept. This would be utterly impossible as we will see. Rather, the questions deal with how the Sabbath should be kept.
The seventh-day Sabbath is observed today by only a few, because it is generally assumed that the New Testament shows the abolition of any need to keep the Sabbath. This assumption is rejected by the Church of God. Granted, there is no explicit statement such as, “Christians must keep the Sabbath.” When we actually go back to the New Testament environment, however, the fact that we should keep the Sabbath is so plain that no such statement is required.
Recent scholarly studies have emphasized the extreme strictness in, and rigorous administration of, Sabbath observance in the days of Jesus, even when compared to the later Rabbinic writings in the Mishnah.
Therefore, when Jesus was called into account for doing certain things on the Sabbath, it was not for violating specified Old Testament prohibitions, but for disavowal of non-inspired, traditional regulations concerning the Sabbath. The Old Testament did not forbid one to pick ears of grain on the Sabbath to eat on the spot. Yet when Jesus and His disciples did this He was called to account. The reason? Because the religious leaders had classified picking ears as “reaping” and rubbing loose the grain as “threshing.”
The incident of the disciples plucking grain to eat in the fields (Matt. 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5) was no violation of property law since this was specifically permitted in the Old Testament (Deut. 23:25). They were accused only of Sabbath-breaking. Jesus did not defend their actions on the grounds that the Sabbath was done away. Rather, He used relevant analogies: David and the showbread (KJV, “Bread of the Presence,” RSV) and the priests in the temple. It was only after He had shown that the actions of the disciples were not a true violation of the Sabbath that He asserted, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). By this means He showed not that the Sabbath was done away but rather the correct spirit in which to keep the Sabbath. Jesus was clearly a Sabbath-keeper, not a Sabbath-breaker.
Similarly, it was forbidden by extra-biblical Jewish law to treat a sickness when the sick person’s life was in no immediate danger. Although being watched by the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11). To defend Himself He used the analogy of pulling a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath. This shows that it was not His intent to break the Sabbath but to show that relieving suffering was wholly consistent with the purpose of the day.
Similarly, when He healed a cripple who had been ill 38 years, He told the man to pick up his pallet and go home (John 5:8). This carrying of a few ounces of weight was in no way a violation of the law against bearing a burden on the Sabbath (Jer. 17:21,22,27). It was only in the opinion of certain onlooking religious leaders that He had violated the Sabbath discussions given in the gospels. (Other healings are also described in such passages as John 9; Luke 13:10-13; 14:2-4.)
One passage is undisputed, at least insofar as a clear reference to Sabbath observance after Jesus’ own lifetime is concerned. This is Matthew 24:20: “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.” This admonition is directed at Jesus’ own followers. And such instructions would have had little place in a non-Sabbath-keeping community. Scholars are almost unanimous in agreeing that this refers at least to a time as late as the 66-70 war against Rome, long after Jesus’ death. (The dual implications of this prophecy also show that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would be kept by His people millennia later in the “time of the end.”)
In addition, Christ’s own example of attending the weekly synagogue is significant. In Luke 4, Jesus attends the synagogue on the Sabbath day in His own city “as His custom was” (v. 16). Evidently it had not been His custom heretofore to speak in the synagogue since the listeners were astonished at his teaching. This indicates He attended regular services as a means of Sabbath observance rather than just for the purpose of teaching. And it is impossible to over emphasize the importance of Christ’s own example since He told His disciples to teach all nations those things that He had commanded them (Matt. 28:20).
Thus, we may conclude that the picture of Jesus as a lawbreaker or antinomian radical, while maintained in some fundamentalist circles, is easily refuted by the scriptures and is also generally rejected by scholarship.
The argument that Christians today need not do what Jesus Himself did and taught is refuted by Matthew 28:20, as mentioned above, where the disciples are told to teach what Jesus had commanded them. Furthermore, Matthew 11:13 shows that, “all the prophets and the law” were in effect until John; this means that Jesus’ own actions and teachings were more than simply fulfilling the Sinai Covenant –– they were setting the proper example for all Christians for all time.
Principles for Observing the Sabbath
Genesis 2:3 reveals that God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it –– set it apart as a holy day –– because He rested from all His work. God did not rest because He was tired (Isa. 40:28); He rested because He was creating something new by the very act of His resting! He was putting His holy presence into the seventh day of the week and setting the precedent for what all mankind should later do.
The Sabbath in the Sinaitic covenant and in later administrations was often hedged about with very strict legal ordinances about what could or could not be done on that day. These regulations had the purpose of teaching respect for the day and helping lead to the proper understanding of the day and its intent. Jesus looked beyond these legalistic ordinances surrounding the day and pointed to the true purpose of the day.
The Sabbath is a definite day, the seventh day of the week, established by God at creation. To alter its observance to one day –– just any day –– in seven makes it lose its original meaning. Of course, modern man is aware of geographical locations in which the sun does not set below the horizon every 24 hours. The polar regions in summer are one example; outer space is another. Yet, just as individuals in such locations do not lose track of time in relation to the rest of the world, the basic time of the seventh day of the week on earth can still be known. Despite lack of a clear time of sunset, an appropriate demarcation of the Sabbath day can still be determined.
Christians must keep the day in the spirit. And a true spiritual understanding of the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath obviates the need for detailed regulations; indeed, detailed regulations cannot substitute for a proper spiritual understanding. To attempt to draw detailed lines of Sabbath do’s and don’ts would be of little use and would only confuse those seeking to gain understanding of the real intent of the Sabbath, which must come from the Spirit of God. Yet some guidelines are necessary –– especially for the new convert. Therefore, a rather broad discussion is given here as a means of pointing to a proper understanding of the day.
The Sabbath is a special day, a holy day, a day specifically devoted to God and to spiritual matters. It is not a day for regular business (Isa. 58:13) but a time to turn from the cares and concerns of the mundane life to the things of God. It is a day in which to rejoice, to enjoy, to rest and have time for God and for one’s family. The concept of rest does not mean inactivity though, since spiritual activity is quite important. Physical activity per se is not prohibited since certain kinds may be conductive to a better observance of the day (Matt. 12:1).
Jesus’ example of doing good on the Sabbath is a farther indication that physical activity as such is not prohibited (e.g. Matt. 12:9-13; John 9:1-14). Doing good by helping others is very much in keeping with the intent of the Sabbath. Relieving the sufferings or taking care of the immediate needs of others is at the heart of Christian love. Since the purpose of the Sabbath is to lead to a more profound understanding of this godly love, activity which promotes this is certainly in harmony with the Sabbath command.
On the other hand, whatever does not contribute to a proper use of the Sabbath is out of keeping with it. Doing one’s normal business, earning a living, becoming burdened with the mundane cares of daily life, following purely physical pursuits to the exclusion of spiritual ones, or regularly participating in activities which prevent the needed rest of mind and body, are contrary to the purpose of the Sabbath. These all defeat its very intent –– the reason why it was given to man –– because they do not generate the benefits that the Sabbath was created to give.
It is not the responsibility of the Church to create an encyclopedic handbook for Sabbath observance. The Church teaches the broad principles and the members apply them in situations as they arise. The Church cannot legislate on every last situation that may be encountered. Each member must be educated and encouraged to make personal value judgments according to his own character and conscience within the general guidelines provided by the Church.
It is the duty of the ministry of the Church to teach the profound spiritual meaning of the seventh day from a biblical perspective. The ministry must teach both what the letter of the law says and what the spirit of the Sabbath law is.
The most important declaration regarding Sabbath Observance was Jesus’ statement that, “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). God created the Sabbath day to serve man –– not vice versa. Man was not intended to be enslaved to a period of time. Sabbath observance should not be allowed to become an end in itself. Rather, the day is to serve and help those who observe it. The Sabbath was created, as Christ pointed out, for the service of mankind. It was the day upon which God “rested” –– that is, ceased from His labors of creation –– “and was refreshed” (Ex. 31:17). The example is clear: God rested, therefore man also should rest from his weekly labors. When man observes the Sabbath day, he is imitating his Creator and commemorating the creation itself.
In short, the Sabbath is God’s day. It is a day devoted to God and to godly activities. It is holy. It is hallowed. It is a day to be honored. It is a time to “delight in the Lord” as opposed to one’s own mundane business affairs. It should be carefully noted that the term “seeking your own pleasure” (RSV, “finding thine own pleasure,” KJV) in Isaiah 58:13 does not, in the Hebrew, have reference to personal enjoyment. The word “pleasure” is khephets in Hebrew. In the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, it is rendered “thine own business.”
With these basic guidelines in mind, it should be evident that the individual must evaluate each situation that confronts him as it arises. He or she must answer several basic questions: will this activity violate the spirit and intent of the Sabbath day? Can I do it in faith? If there is doubt in the person’s mind, if the activity contemplated is questionable, it is probably best to avoid it (Rom. 14:23). If it would offend his conscience –– or that of others in the Church –– he should avoid the activity. Paul said, “If food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall” (I Cor. 8:13).
These guidelines are what the Church provides to its members as the basis for their personal decision making. It is not the duty of the ministry to spell out and rule on every last kind of activity in the human realm! It is in its spiritual significance. It is the individual’s responsibility to interpret that teaching in the light of his or her own situation.
In all this, we should remember that Israel was a self contained, controllable, theocratic community. In today’s world, on the other hand, Christians cannot control the circumstances of their environments except to a very limited extent. We are sent into the world (John 17:18). We must coexist with a world that, for the most part, does not obey God. Our situation is quite different from that of ancient Israel.
The Sabbath demonstrates one’s recognition of God as Creator, both past and future, and as Lord of our lives. If we do not set aside the Sabbath day –– not just any day of the week, but the day specifically ordained, sanctified and commanded by God and His Word –– perhaps it is because of a disinclination or “inability” to serve Him and put Him first. Respect for the Sabbath is one means (among many) of showing one’s true attitude toward God and His rulership.
Keeping the Sabbath in its full spiritual intent is a means of developing and demonstrating godly love. It is also a solemn command from God, who wants only the best for His creation. Physically and mentally, the Sabbath renews the body to do more in six days than could be done in seven without such rest. Spiritually, it shows respect and love toward God. God’s Sabbath is surely “for men” (Mark 2:27). (This lesson was abbreviated for space. Contact us for a free copy of the full lesson.)
Summary: Read these scriptures in your own Bible:
- Mark 2:27-28 – The Sabbath was made for man and the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.
- Leviticus 23:2-3 – Sabbath is a holy day, a solemn rest, an appointed feast, a holy convocation.
- Genesis 2:1-3 – God rested on the 7th day, a specific day and the only one with a name.
- Isaiah 66:23 – In the millennium everyone will keep the Sabbath.
- Exodus 16:28 – Sabbath is mentioned as Law before Sinai.
- Exodus 20:8 – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Exodus 31:12-17 – Sabbath is a sign between God and His people.
- Isaiah 58:13-14 – Blessing for keeping the Sabbath.
- Acts 13:42-48 – Paul is keeping the Sabbath with the Gentiles.
- 1 Corinthians 7:19 – Physical circumcision is nothing. Uncircumcision is nothing. But keeping the commandments (including the 4th) is.
- Romans 2:29 – Circumcision of the heart is important.
- Hebrews 4:11 – Sabbath looks forward to the ultimate rest in the Kingdom of God.
- Ezekiel 40-48 – Sabbath is to be kept after return of Christ.
- Leviticus 23:3 – The Sabbath is a holy convocation.
- Hebrews 10:25 – Gathering together on the Sabbath.
Questions
- Which of the following is true regarding the Sabbath:
- a) is Holy.
- b) instituted at Creation.
- c) reaffirmed to Israel at Sinai.
- d) taught by Jesus Christ.
- e) basic to a Christian’s relationship with God.
- f) all of the above
- The weekly Sabbath celebration serves as a reminder that:
- a) Association with others is fun.
- b) God is Creator
- The New Testament discussions about the Sabbath revolve around how to keep it not whether to keep it. True or False?
- The basic New Testament scripture on how to keep the Sabbath is_____ .
- The Hebrew word translated “Sabbath” means to rest, stop or cease. True or False?
- The Sabbath is from:
- a) midnight going into Saturday to midnight going into Sunday.
- b) sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
- c) noon Friday to noon Saturday.
- d) Saturday morning to Sunday morning.
- The weekly Sabbath predated the covenant with Israel. True or False?
- What verse tells us that God hallowed the Sabbath by resting on it?
- The Sabbath was created only for the tribes of Israel and not the rest of the world. True or False?
- Where do we hear God speaking to Moses saying, “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?”
- Exodus 20:8 says, “_________ the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
- Exodus 31 says that the Sabbath is a _________ [what?] between Him and His people?
- Finish this sentence: The Sabbath is the one commandment of the ten that will maintain a _____ _____ to God.
- Romans 9:6-8 says that in these New Testament times the seed of Abraham and the promises go to the followers of Christ, not physical Israel. (See Gal. 3:29.) Is this an accurate understanding of the New Testament? Yes or No?
- The Sabbath is no longer a sign between God and His people. True or False?
- Jeremiah 17 speaks to dire consequence of negligence in regard to the Sabbath. True or False?
- The nations went into captivity, in part, because of their Sabbath breaking. True or False?
- The Sabbath is clearly done away with in the New Testament times. True or False?
- Secular history of the 1st century cannot be used to support the idea of Sabbath-keeping at that time. True or False?
- The ministerial conference of Acts 15 did not discuss the abolition or altering of the Sabbath. Why?
- a) It was an unforgivable oversight.
- b) It was never an issue.
- The Sabbath transcends the covenant at Sinai. True or False?
- What scriptures in Acts record the Gentiles asking Paul to preach to them again on the next Sabbath?
- Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, was constantly being attacked by others Jews who said he was teaching against the Law. Acts 21:20-21 clearly indicates that these accusations were false. Why then, if he taught another Sabbath day, was he not accused by other Jews of Sabbath breaking?
- a) They never discovered that all these churches started by Paul were keeping the wrong day (Sunday).
- b) Because Paul vigorously kept all the laws of God including the Sabbath.
- The Greek word translated “esteem” [Krino] is never used for Sabbath-keeping. True or False?
- The Sabbath day has two great overall purposes according to the Bible:
- a) It looks back as a witness to the ________ _________ [what?]
- b) It looks forward as a shadow to the spiritual rest of the _______________ [what?]
- In what verse in Isaiah do we read, “…and from one sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me.”
- What 9 chapters in Ezekiel describes Israel and the future Temple in prophetic vision and specifically mentions Sabbath-keeping:
- a) 1-9
- b) 14-22
- c) 30-38
- d) 40-48
- In polar regions where the sun does not set for 24 hours, 7 days a week, and in outer space, the Sabbath day has no meaning. True or False?
- The church…
- a) teaches broad principles regarding Sabbath-keeping.
- b) provides specific lists of what cannot be done on the Sabbath.
- Today, Sabbath teaching includes:
- a) the letter of the Law.
- b) the spirit of the Law.
- c) both.
- d) neither.
- Which of the following are true about the Sabbath:
- a) it is God’s day.
- b) it is a day devoted to Godly activities.
- c) it is holy.
- d) it is a joy and delight.
- e) not a day for doing thine own business.
- f) all of the above
- The phrase “nor finding thine own pleasure“ is better rendered:
- a) feeling good physically and emotionally.
- b) looking for a joyous time.
- c) plying your trade.
- True or False? The following are inherently wrong on the Sabbath: watching TV; swimming; listening to music; marital relations; reading the weekly comics
- What is wrong is any activity which interferes with or detracts from the joy, rest and spiritual intention of the day. True or False?
- It is the duty of the ministry to:
- a) provide the member with basic guidelines for making their own decisions.
- b) spell out and rule on every last kind of activity.
- Which of these activities would seem not in the spirit of keeping the Sabbath?
- a) participating in football or basketball.
- b) digging up the garden or plowing a field.
- c) harvesting a crop or entire garden.
- d) doing the week’s shopping.
- e) none of the above.
- f) all of the above.
- In Leviticus 23:3 the Sabbath is called a ____ __________ [what?]
- Hebrews 10:25 encourages church members to ____ ________ [what?] on the Sabbath.
ANSWERS
