I used to struggle a lot with the topic of the Sabbath. There was a point where I was firmly standing against this teaching, actively trying to attack and disprove it.
After some time of searching my Bible and browsing the internet, I thought I had found enough ammo to once and for all destroy this teaching. And for some time, it worked. I had fully bought into the popular reasoning, and I got my wife (mostly) on board to.
Later on our faith journey, we were faced with certain experiences and conflicting teachings that forced us to review what we actually believe.
As we reflected on our beliefs, opinions, experiences, etc, it became painfully clear that we had been led more by our own thoughts and feelings, rather than the plain ‘thus saith the Lord’.
It was a time where we studied the Bible like we had never done before. Now there was no agenda, no preconceived notions, just wanting to find the truth.
When we studied out the arguments I had used to debunk the Sabbath teaching, we were shocked about what we found! I had been wrong, big time.
Sooner or later, every person reading the Bible will come across these same verses and theories. And you don’t want to make the same mistakes as I made, because you will miss out on experiencing the beauty of the liberating truth.
In this post I am doing my best to clear up any confusion about these 13 popular questions about the Sabbath.
1. Did Jesus abolish the Sabbath?
Many Christians believe that Jesus did away with the law, which includes the Sabbath commandment. This idea is not based on a specific statement from Jesus, but, as is claimed, implied by a few other verses that we will look at in this guide.
However, long before any of these assumptions were made, Jesus Himself already answers us this question. Have a look.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
Matthew 5:17-18
Pretty cut and dry, right? Jesus says that we shouldn’t even get the idea, don’t even think, that He would abolish the law. Instead, He came to fulfill. What does that mean?
Some suggest that this means that He took it away. So He did not destroy, but take away the law… I assume that you can tell that this does not make any sense.
Especially in the light of another Bible verse¹ where Jesus says He fulfilled all righteousness (moral right-standing). Does that mean He took away uprightness in morality? That would be absurd.
Jesus did not abolish the law, as He said Himself, but fulfilled it. What that means, you can read at question 3 in this guide.
2. Did Jesus Break The Sabbath?
When talking to Sunday-keeping Christians about the Sabbath, occasionally you could hear the claim that the Sabbath is not really a big deal, because even Jesus broke it. They might not realize it themselves, but if what they are saying is true, the implications are immense.
The Bible tells us that breaking the law is called sin (1 John 3:4). As the Sabbath commandment is a law, it would mean if Jesus broke that, He would have sinned! This would have ruined the plan to save humanity.
Moreover, it would have greatly damaged the credibility of the Bible, as in many places it claims that Jesus was without sin (1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 3:5). And, it would have made Jesus Himself a liar (which would also be sin), because Jesus Himself claimed that He kept all His Father’s commandments (John 15:10).
Jesus was far from being a Sabbath-breaker, He was a Sabbath-keeper (Luke 4:16).
So where does this idea of Jesus breaking the Sabbath come from? It is based on John 5:18, which as a matter of fact does say quite literally that Jesus broke the Sabbath. Does the Bible not agree with itself about Jesus’ sinlessness?
When taking Scripture merely on face value, it is easy to come to such a dangerous assertion. But the context will help us understand.
Most people loved Jesus, but not everyone did. Particularly the power-hungry church leaders of the time, the Pharisees and Sadducees, saw Jesus as a threat to their ability to control the people. We can read about many occasions where they try to bring Jesus down and take Him out.
This situation is one of them. Jesus had done something that upset them so much, that they tried to accuse Him of something worthy of the death penalty. And in their eyes, Jesus broke the Sabbath. That was their accusation. Does that mean they are right?
In other occasions they accused Jesus of being demon-possessed (John 10:20), a glutton and a drunkard (Matthew 11:19). These things were obviously false.
Which tells us that the word of these people is not reliable. They had an agenda to kill Jesus, and had a track record of lying (in many more places than the examples that I have given here).
With this background information, we can confidently conclude that Jesus did not break the Sabbath commandment as given by God.
However, He did ‘break’ something. And what He did fueled the anger of the Pharisees and in their eyes was breaking the Sabbath. More on this at question 6.
3. Did Jesus Replace The Sabbath?
Even unchurched people might have heard this famous response from Jesus, as He was asked about which commandment in the law in the greatest.
Even unchurched people might have heard this famous response from Jesus, as He was asked about which commandment in the law in the greatest.
“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”.
Matthew 22:37-39
A wonderful passage that tells us what Christianity at its heart really is all about, love. That’s the common thought among most Christians, that Jesus replaced the law from the Old Testament (which includes the Sabbath), with the commandment to love. And despite that they sound very similar, to our 21 century mindset, ‘love’ sounds a lot more desirable than ‘law’.
To back up this replacement-theory, another statement from Jesus is brought to the table.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John 13:34
That seems to confirm the claim that Jesus’ commandment to love indeed was new, suggesting it replaced the old. This is the popular view that is held by many Christians, based on these verses. The question is, is the commandment to love new?
It might come as a surprise to many, but the phrases Jesus uses ‘to love the Lord and our neighbors’, are direct quotes from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Leviticus 19:18). In other words, the commandments to love were not new at all!
Paul, a New Testament author, wrote about the ten commandments in his letter to the Romans, and concluded that specific passage with these powerful words: “love is the fulfillment of the law” Romans 13:10. The law of God has always been about love.
The two phrases Jesus used were never intended to replace the law. These two phrases summed up the law. That’s why Jesus in the verse next verse says: “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:40.
In other words, out of these two principles flow all the other principles. When you love your neighbor as yourself, you don’t lie to them, don’t steal their stuff etc.
And when you love God with all your heart, soul and mind, you make Him number one. You don’t take His name in vain. And, you spend quality time with Him on the day that He wants you to keep holy, the Sabbath.
It is very dangerous to think that Jesus needed to free us from the laws from His Father. As if the Father is just a harsh, legalistic dictator, while Jesus the Son is all about love.
Not only is it dangerous, it goes right against Jesus’ many own claims that He and the Father are one; that He only speaks the words of His father; that you can see on Him what the Father is like (John 10:30, 12:49-50, 14:9-10, 24, 7:16, 8:28, Deuteronomy 18:18).
The reason why so many Christians are confused on this topic, is because they use the wrong measurements. They assume that the people around Jesus, such as the Pharisees, were Old Testament law keepers. Contrasted to that, you have Jesus, who clearly lived a different kind of life and often clashed with the other group. In their eyes, He is the image of the ‘new’ commandments to love.
The truth is, the Pharisees and such did indeed themselves claim to be law keepers, but they were not!
Listen to what Jesus had to say to this group:
“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
Mark 7:6-7
These people claimed to be law keepers, but were hypocrites. They had made so many of their own laws and traditions, that they had turned them away from God’s law. And being the ‘educated’ scholars, teachers and leaders of the day, the whole nation was led astray by their errors.
Part of the reason why Jesus came as a man, is so that we could relate to Him and He could set an example for us to follow. Talking about Jesus, the Bible says: “He will exalt the law and make it honorable.” In other words, Jesus would live a law-abiding life, that would reveal what the law of God truly is all about.
Obedience to the law was not merely about outward actions. It was much deeper than just the letter of the law. Jesus taught that it was also about the spirit behind the letter.
Adultery is not merely the outward action of being unfaithful, but Jesus said that you can already commit adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:27-28). He’s talking about our thoughts. Pornography is a great example of ‘lusting in your heart’ and committing adultery in your heart.
Another example Jesus gave was about the commandment to not murder. Again, this is just the outward action of gunning someone down, but even when you are angry with someone without cause (Matthew 5:21-22). You commit murder in your feelings.
Jesus fulfilled, make full, the law, by demonstrating the spirit behind the letter. On His life we can see the completeness of the written law, and the meaning behind it, perfectly demonstrated.
4. Is Jesus Our Sabbath?
Though this phrase, ‘Jesus is the Sabbath’, is not Biblical, it does capture an essence of truth. However, it is important that we are careful not to draw hasty and faulty conclusions.
Here’s what is true about the statement (though formulated differently); in Jesus we find salvation. It is only by His grace that we can be forgiven, and covered. He is our only hope. That is why, after receiving Him into as lives as our Lord and Savior, we can ‘rest’.
Hebrews 4 likens this ‘rest in grace’ to the Sabbath day. When we trust in His power to save us, we do not need to be anxious or worrysome. We can be confident that our salvation is secure in His righteousness, rather than in our works.
This rest has always been available to humanity, but it can only be received through faith. Many have gone before us, as we can read in Hebrews 3 and 4, but have failed to grasp this promised reality because of unbelief. However, Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and receive the rest that He can give, stands (Matthew 11:28).
In that way, yes, Jesus is the source of our rest. So does this impact the weekly rest day, the Sabbath?
I have good news for you, it doesn’t. Nowhere does the Bible tell us that taking hold of the ‘rest of grace’, finding salvation in Christ, excludes the weekly Sabbath commandment.
Rather it would be the opposite, it would include it even more. Being saved by Jesus does not lead to disregarding His commandments, but to embracing them more deeply.
Based on the passages in Hebrews, one needs perseverence and faithfulness, ceasing from believing in salvation by works, to enter into the ‘rest of grace’. Not a rejection of obedience to God’s holy commandments. There is nothing in the texts that would suggest that the ‘rest of grace’ superceedes or replaces the literal observance of the fourth commandment.
Remember that it was Jesus who created the weekly Sabbath in the first place. He made it in creation week, according to His perfect design. As we will see again at question 7, the Sabbath has never been shadow that would one day find it’s true fulfillment in Christ. No, the Sabbath was perfect the way Jesus made it. A wonderful, thoughtful, and extremely important gift from our creator.
The fact that Jesus did not replace the weekly Sabbath is great news, because if you understand what the weekly Sabbath truly is all about, you wouldn’t want to miss out on it. It offers unique benefits, customized to meet the needs of humanity. Thought out, and made by the restgiver.
5. Was The Sabbath Only For The Jews?
Maybe more than any other claim, have I heard the assertion that ‘the Sabbath was only for the Jews’. I’ve heard it from friends, from pulpits, read it in commentaries. It is a very prevalent theory among Christians. I hear it all the time.
Most Christians who support this idea, believe that the Sabbath first publicly came to the scene when God gave Moses (as the representative of the Jews) the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. Because these laws were given to Moses and the Jews, we do not need to concern ourselves with it, so they claim.
But guess how many times the Bible says ‘the Sabbath of the Jews’. Made your guess? The answer is a whopping zero times. It’s not there. Not once does the Bible call the Sabbath the day of the Jews.
The Sabbath was instituted in the garden of Eden, way back in creation week (Genesis 2:2-3). This was when everything was still perfect. It was before evil sneaked into the world and it was long before even the first Jew was ever around. Jesus Himself, the maker of the Sabbath, said that the Sabbath was made for mankind, not just the Jews. That is why the Sabbath commandment even includes the ‘stranger’. It is not an exclusive, but an inclusive day!
This is confirmed in Ezekiel 20:12, where it makes the Sabbath even more significant: “Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”.
The ‘them’ that God gave the Sabbath-sign to, is the same ‘them’ who in the previous verse were given all the ‘rules’. Do you think that the rules to not lie, cheat, steal and murder are just for the Jews or does this count for everybody?
Of course these rules are for all mankind, throughout all the ages, for anywhere on the world. And the Sabbath sticks out in a special way, as God has chosen this as the sign that we may know that God is our only hope for salvation and restoration.
Even though these principles are valid for every being, not every person will accept them. But for the people who have chosen to want to follow Jesus and be reconciled with God, the Sabbath becomes a sign of that faith.
Much in line with question 3, God has always been about the heart. God has never and will never save people based on their outward actions, or genealogy. Just because one was born a Jew, does not mean that person is automatically saved.
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
Romans 2:28-29
Only those with faith can be saved (Hebrews 11:6). Just as this has been true throughout all ages, so are God’s ten commandments. And for every true believer, the law of God is not an external stick behind the door, it is an inner operating system, a law written on the heart, that drives the way you live your life (Hebrews 8:10).
6. Does The New Testament Repeat the Sabbath Commandment?
It doesn’t explicitly repeat the commandment as it has in the Old Testament. But frankly, that is for good reason. Stay with me here.
The New Testament has a lot of plain statements regarding the tradition of circumcision. It is clear that something changed in the transition from the era before and after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection so that physical circumcision would no longer be necessary (1 Corinthians 7:18-19, Romans 2:29, Galatians 2:1-3, 5:2, Galatians 6:15, Colossians 2:11, Philippians 3:2-3).
The fact that we can read many of these statements in the Bible, proves that a big change had taken place. Instructions were necessary to help, especially Jews who had converted to Christianity, because this had been a Jewish custom for thousands of years. Clearly, they had a lot of questions and concerns that needed to be addressed, before they could trust that this change was indeed led by God, and not some false teachers.
How did the Jews view the Sabbath? The Sabbath was an even bigger deal! Neglecting the Sabbath had been a reason for why the Jews were allowed by God to be taken captive to Babylon (Ezekiel 20).
They were rigorous about the Sabbath, and had added a whole bunch of extra rules (as discussed in question 3) that made the Sabbath a burden instead of a delight.
So every time when they saw Jesus do something that was against their own manmade rules, they were there to ‘bust’ him. They were always watching Jesus’ every move on the Sabbath. And we can read about all the confrontations they’ve had, when Jesus healed the sick, or when the disciples picked the grain during their walk (Mark 3:1-6, Luke 13:10-17, Mark 2:23). That’s how they reacted to these “small violations”.
How do you think they would react if Jesus or the disciples would began teaching that people no longer needed to keep the Sabbath? Or even that the Sabbath day has been moved from Saturday to Sunday? … All hell would have broken loose! Frenzies and riots would have broken out!
If the change for circumcision was written about so much already, would you expect at the bare minimum a similar amount of instructions about a change regarding the Sabbath? There is no chance that such a big change could have taken place, without us being able to read anything about it.
Yet, nowhere in the New Testament are any of these clear, circumcision-like, statements found.
The fact that we do not read about the Sabbath commandment in the New Testament in the same way as in the Old Testament, is not because it is no longer relevant. It is because it was completely unnecessary to repeat it. The Sabbath was kept, no one doubted its validity.
The problem was that people did not keep it right, they overdid it. And that is why we can read instructions in the Bible regarding how to keep the Sabbath.
And as a quick bonus thought. The third commandment, to not take God’s name in vain, is not mentioned specifically in any way in the New Testament. But surely no Christian believes that now it is okay for us to take God’s name in vain.
7. Doesn’t Paul Say To Not Judge Regarding The Sabbath?
This is probably the most common Bible verse that confuses people about the importance and relevance of the Sabbath.
“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;”
Colossians 2:14-17
The way I used to interpret this verse, was that ‘Jesus nailed the law to the cross and therefore it is no longer relevant to us. The law was a shadow, but Jesus is the fulfillment.’ This is a common interpretation. And the truth is, depending on how you define ‘law’, it is correct. Here’s what I mean.
In the Old Testament, the are primarily two sets of laws; the moral law (ten commandments, which includes the Sabbath), and the ceremonial law. There are some significant differences between these two. We will point these out as we go through the passage, which will help us understand what this passage is talking about.
First of all, it talks about ‘blotting out’. This means something is removed by wiping or smearing out.
The moral law was written by God’s finger on two tables of stone. While the ceremonial law was handwritten by Moses on, most likely, papyrus or something like it. Wiping away something written in stone is highly unlikely, if not simply impossible. Wiping out what was written on papyrus on the other hand is a lot more fitting.
What was blotted out is the handwriting of ordinances. The Bible says that the ceremonial law was written by Moses’ handwriting and God makes a clear separation between His holy law and the statutes and ordinances written by Moses (2 Chronicles 33:8, Deuteronomy 4:13-14, 2 Kings 21:8).
These writings were said to be against us, contrary to us, something standing in our way. God’s moral law does not in the slightest fit that description. Considering just the Sabbath for example, Jesus said it was a gift from Him for man (Mark 2:27). Far from being against us.
Where the ten commandments where placed inside a golden box, called the Ark of the Covenant, the handwritten ordinances however were placed on the outside of the ark. The reason for this is so that it would testify against the people (Deuteronomy 31:26).
The expression of nailing it to his cross (though figuratively speaking), would be an unlikely fit with two tablets of stone. Have you ever tried to nail stone to a tree? The illustration makes much more sense with papyrus.
Jesus is said to have triumphed over them. Jesus Himself said that He is Lord over the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). Why would He need to triumph over something that He is Lord over? Does not make sense.
The meat, drink, holydays, new moons as sabbath days (not the weekly Sabbath, but the sabbath days connected to feasts) were all contained in the ceremonial law. The moral law does not say anything specific about these.
And finally, the examples given, including the sabbath days, are said to have been ‘shadows’. Throughout the Bible this term is used for something that would find its fulfillment in Christ. Something that was put in place temporarily, to point people forward to Jesus.
This would include the different offerings and sacrifices, feasts, priesthood, earthly temple, etc. All these things are described in the ceremonial law. And all these have found a clear fulfillment in the ministry of Christ.
For example, the lamb sacrifices the Israelites were told to make, pointed forward to the sacrifice that Jesus would make as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).
The weekly Sabbath was made already in creation week according to His perfect design. Before sin had entered the world. Before humanity even needed Jesus for salvation. So there is no way that the Sabbath could be a shadow. It was a perfect gift as it was.
The ‘sabbath days’ that this passage is referring to is clearly talking about the sabbath days that are connected to the feasts as described in the ceremonial law.
Jesus was the fulfillment of these shadows. Paul is writing this to encourage, probably mainly converted Jews, to stand strong in their decision to accept Christ as the fulfillment, and not feel judged or shaken by those what unconverted Jews may say.
8. Doesn’t Paul Say That We Can Choose To Keep The Sabbath Or Not?
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.”
Romans 14:5-6
Another verse that potentially on the surface can cause a bit of confusion. If you read it in a certain way, it can seem like Paul here is talking about the Sabbath, being the ‘day’.
That would make it seem like it is completely up to the believer whether they would want to keep the Sabbath or not. Both would be fine. But is the ‘day’ that he is talking about, indeed the Sabbath day?
Interestingly enough, Paul does not even use the word ‘Sabbath’ in the whole of his letter to the Romans! In the absence of any evidence, it is unlikely that Paul is talking about the Sabbath.
Especially in the light of some other statements that he has made, where he calls the law (which includes the Sabbath) holy, just and good (Romans 7:12). He believes that real faith does not make void of the law, but rather establishes the law (Romans 3:31). In other words, Paul is a fan of the law and Sabbath. So what ‘day’ is he talking about?
The ‘day’ that Paul talks about here are fasting days that the Jews held (Luke 18:12, Luke 5:33, Matthew 6:16). This comes out pretty clear when you look at the whole context. The entire chapter is about food, and drinks, and things related to fasting. This isn’t about whether or not to keep the Sabbath.
This is a conversation about whether or not they were to have fasting days like the Jews had. Paul seems to say here that it is up to the individual believer’s conscience.
9. Doesn’t Paul Say To Not Turn Back To The Sabbath?
“But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years.”
Galatians 4:9-10
Just like with the previous two passages, taking these verses out of context, opens a whole range of possible applications. Are the days Paul is referring to the Sabbath days?
When reading the letter of Galatians as a whole, it becomes clear that the Galatian believers had started to shift their attitude concerning the source of their salvation. Instead of accepting the gift of salvation by faith, as they were taught, they returned to the rites of the ceremonial law that had found their fulfillment in Christ (we talked about this at question 7).
They had begun to walk and live in the Spirit, but have now shifted again to works of the flesh (Galatians 3:3). They began again observing the ceremonial sabbaths and new moons, appointed seasons for festivals and years of jubilee (Numbers 10:10, Leviticus 23:4, Numbers 28:2, Exodus 23:10-11).
The term ‘days’ in no way refers to the weekly Sabbath. As a matter of fact, nowhere does Scripture use that term to refer to the seventh-day Sabbath.
And again, just like with the previous question, Paul does not even mention the word Sabbath in this entire letter. On top of that, since God created the Sabbath in creation week and kept it Himself (Genesis 2:2-3), Paul would then here suggest that God put Himself in bondage on that first Sabbath before sin entered the world. That does not sound right, does it?
The Sabbath is far from a weak and beggarly element that keeps people in bondage. It is an amazing and personal gift from our maker, beautifully captured in the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25).
10. Can You Make Fire On The Sabbath?
If you are relatively new to the Bible, you might wonder if this is a serious question. The truth is, there is a Bible verse that forbids the making of fire on the Sabbath. Check it out.
“You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” Exodus 35:3.
If you are anything like me, and you are not used to making fires inside for heat, this seems like a very odd commandment. You might even say extreme. It is this mindset that for some shapes the way they look at the Sabbath. These people cannot imagine the Sabbath being anything desirable, as it seems so restrictive. Which is why they use this verse to ‘mock’ the concept of the Sabbath still being relevant for us today.
However, if you are used to needing to make fire to heat up your home, you have an advantage to understanding why God says it.
You know that more is required than simply turning on the element.
Back in the day the process was a lot more time consuming than it is today. Here is how one Bible commentary puts it:
“The kindling of fire in early times involved considerable labour. It was ordinarily affected by rubbing two sticks together, or twisting one round rapidly between the two palms in a depression upon a board. Fire only came after a long time. Moreover, as in the warm climate of Arabia and Palestine artificial warmth was not needed, fire could only have been kindled there for cooking purposes, which involved further unnecessary work”
Pulpit Commentary, Exodus 35:3
In other words, making a fire in that climate was not necessary. They would have already finished the cooking on the Friday, so they did not require fire for that purpose either.
God is not being arbitrary here, but is actually setting healthy boundaries to help us. He wants to help us disconnect from necessary duties of life, so we can enjoy a fuller Sabbath experience.
The context of this command, indicates that this was a temporary law specifically for their time in the wilderness, as the laws mentioned after it were temporary laws concerning the construction of the tabernacle.
When the Israelites would move out from the wilderness into the promised land of Canaan, this prohibition would end, as the climate there would require heat from the fires.
This would mean that God is so personal, that He customizes boundaries, appropriate to our situation. Not to tease us, or make life hard for us, but so that nothing would stand in the way of us being able to have a deep, reviving connection with Him. Only by trusting God and walking in His ways, can we ever experience the potential blessings.
11. Can We Know That The Seventh Day Is Saturday?
Yes, 100%.
The Bible says that God has entrusted the knowledge of the correct seventh day to the Jews (Romans 3:2). Throughout the years they have faithfully kept track of it. Today, there are a whole lot of Jews all around the world keeping the Saturday as the Sabbath. Unless it sounds plausible to you that all of the Jews around the world at some point all overslept for a whole day and lost track, you can be confident in that they still have the right day.
Also, Jesus confirmed the correct day all the time as He Himself was observing the Sabbath. And as Lord over the Sabbath, surely of all people He would know which day the right one is (Matthew 12:8, John 1:14).
Some may think if the calendar changes could have made it all a bit messy. But don’t worry, they didn’t. Because when in 1582 they replaced the Julian calendar for the Gregorian calendar, the dates changed, the seven-day weekly cycle stayed the same.
In the same way once every four year we have a leap year, which changes the dates but leaves the order of the weekdays intact. Tuesday still comes after Monday, and Saturday is still the seventh day of the week, no matter the date.
Still in our age, in more than 100 languages spoken today, the Saturday is called the Sabbath (or a derivation thereof). All throughout history, even dating back to one of the oldest languages, Babylonian, the seventh day Saturday is called the ‘rest day’ (sa-ba-tu).
Now notice this, in no other language in the world, is any other day of the week called ‘rest day’!
Pretty solid evidence, that removes all doubt. Our seventh day Saturday, is the same seventh day Sabbath that God created in the beginning.
12. Shouldn’t We Worship God Every Day?
Well, yes and no.
We should absolutely worship God every day, in everything we do (Colossians 3:17). Rather than worship being a moment, or a song, it should be a continual lifestyle.
However, the Sabbath commandment is more specific than only ‘worship’. It instructs us for example to not work. You can see how applying that to every day would be problematic.
The Bible tells us that six days of the week are common working days. Only the seventh day, not ‘a’ seventh, but ‘the’ seventh day. Meaning, God has chosen the day, that is not up to us to decide. He made the seventh day Sabbath holy.
Holy means set apart. God set it apart, by doing something different on that day. He rested, contrasted to the other six days where He worked and created. And we are to simply follow His example.
Per definition, it is not possible to treat all days as holy. This would totally negate the meaning of ‘set apart’, as they would not be different, they would all be the same, making them, not holy.
A story in the Bible talks about two sons of a priest who used ‘common’ fire for a ritual in the temple (Leviticus 10:1-2). God had commanded them to use only the ‘holy’ fire that He had set apart.
And let’s just say, it did not end well for the two. Mixing what God has called common and calling it holy and vice versa is not something God approves of Ezekiel 22:26.
So, worship Him every day, and keep holy the seventh day that He told us to keep holy.
13. How Can The Majority Be Wrong?
Allow me to challenge you. Open the Scriptures anywhere and see when the majority was ever right.
I mean, really…
It was the majority that was unaware that the flood would come (Matthew 24:39), that danced around a golden calf (Exodus 32:8), that bowed before Nebuchadnezzar’s image (Daniel 3:7) and that killed Jesus (Luke 23:21). Maybe you have some examples too?
Jesus tells us that the road to life is narrow, and the majority will unfortunately not be on that road (Matthew 7:13-14). No matter what the majority does, even as the majority of the Christian world keeps Sunday, we are to act on what God says (Acts 5:29).
Still Standing
We have gone through 13 questions together, and we can conclude that the Sabbath teaching is still standing strong.
And praise God for that, because everyone who knows what the Sabbath is really all about, wouldn’t want to miss out on it for the world!
Are you willing to make the decision today to keep holy the day that God has told us to keep holy, the seventh-day Sabbath?
