Myth-Busting Moment: The Sabbath

Many people get confused when it comes to the Sabbath Day. The primary question is rather simple: "Do we still have to honor the Sabbath Day?" The answer is not so simple: "no, but yes". That is to say we do not have to observe the literal day any longer, but the principle of sabbath (or rest) is still something we must obey.

Now, there are about 60 instances in the New Testament where the word sabbath is used. However, there is NEVER a command given, either directly or implicitly, to continue in the Old Testament tradition of observing the Sabbath Day. For those who don't know, the Sabbath is from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. It was intended as a day of rest (Exodus 31:15), and was instituted for the benefit of man.

Jesus came to fulfill the old law, and in so doing, let the Pharisees and Sadducees know that He was Lord of the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mt 12:8, Mk 2:27-28, Lk 6:5). Jesus gave us a more excellent rest through the Holy Ghost.

The Sabbath was intended as a rest for the people of God, and Hebrews 4:1-11 lets us know that the rest we now have is no longer relegated to a specific day, but rather, is a place we can enter into. Isaiah 28:11-12 records the prophecy of the Holy Ghost and makes reference to it in two ways: "this is the rest" and "with stammering lips and another tongue." So, this stammering lips and another tongue is the rest and refreshing promised, according to Isaiah.

Then we see in Mk 16:16-17, Jesus (Lord of the Sabbath) tells us that believers will speak with new tongues. Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6 all record people speaking with new tongues when they received the Holy Ghost.

So, Hebrews lets us know it is not simply a particular day, Isaiah prophesied that the rest would be stammering lips and another tongue, Jesus said those new tongues would be a sign of the believers, and the evidence of the Holy Ghost is speaking with other tongues. You do the math. Our rest is no longer a specific day, but rather, the infilling of the Holy Ghost, something we can experience all the time!!!


Some Q&A:

Question: But wait, wasn't the sabbath part of the Ten Commandments?

Answer: Yes, it was part of the Mosaic law, but as mentioned earlier, Jesus came to fulfill and make perfect that old law. Each of the Ten Commandments was reestablished in the New Testament, save one: the keeping of the Sabbath Day.

Question: Did the early church keep the Sabbath?

Answer: There were times the apostles and even Jesus met on the Sabbath. Of course they would. If you were trying to convert and save a bunch of Jews, what better time than on the Sabbath in the synagogue where there were many gathered together. But the early church gathered together on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK (I Cor 16:1-2).

Some try to say that the first day was really the Sabbath, but that's a misconception. Look at Acts 20:7-11. Paul intended to leave on the following day (verse 7). Then in verse 11, it says he left at daybreak. So, the NEW DAY was brought about by daylight, not sunset. This lets us know that Luke was writing Acts according to the Roman calendar which uses midnight to midnight as each new day rather than the Jewish calender's sunset to sunset. Thus, the first day of the week was Sunday, not Saturday.

Question: Is keeping of the Sabbath mentioned anywhere in the Epistles?

Answer: Yes, in Colossians 2:16-17 it says not to let people judge in keeping of sabbaths, or any other holy day for that matter. This word sabbath is the exact same as those elsewhere in the New Testament, so it's not differentiating it as some special sabbath or feast. Also, Galatians 4:8-11 warns against those who desire to serve the old law and keep special days, months, & years. Finally, Romans 14:5-6 says that people can either choose to observe special days or choose not to, but that they both do it to the Lord. Where the Sabbath is mentioned in the Epistles, it generally warns against those who taught it must still be observed as a special day.

Summary

In short, we do have to keep the Sabbath in a spiritual sense, as the infilling of the Holy Ghost is that rest we now have in God, and it is essential for salvation. The keeping of the Old Testament Sabbath Day is not a salvation issue. If people wish to keep it, there's nothing wrong with doing so, but it's no longer a command from God.