Christians and the Sabbath

Of the Ten Commandments, there is probably more confusion about this one than about any other: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). So let’s understand what it is and what it isn’t.

This commandment originally was given to the Hebrew people for a day of Sabbath rest, which, by the way, is Saturday. This commandment to keep the Sabbath is the only command that is not repeated in the New Testament. It was given to the Jewish people but not to non-Jews.

Jesus never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. In fact, He was repeatedly accused of breaking the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders came down on Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath day. Religion and rituals began to overtake the whole purpose of what the Sabbath was. Jesus told the Pharisees, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

The apostles never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. The Jews met in their synagogue on Saturday. The early church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, met on the first day of the week, Sunday. Why did they meet on Sunday? That is the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It was a New Covenant.

Some have taken the Sabbath and have tried to turn it into a law that Christians should keep. But the Bible addresses this in Colossians 2:16–17, saying, "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." The Sabbath was pointing to and was fulfilled in Jesus. One word could sum up our faith: done. It was done for us by Christ on the cross.