Sabbath

© Robert E. Gentet 2022

The weekly seventh-day Sabbath and circumcision were the two main signs of the Old Covenant that God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai (see Exodus 31:12-17 and Genesis 17:9-14). The seventh-day Sabbath is explicitly mentioned as one of the Ten Commandments. While some Christians do continue to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, most others hold weekly worship on the first day of the week. The understanding of how and why this difference came about has everything to do with the covenant question.

The majority of Christians now hold worship on the first – and not the seventh day – of the week. This is completely understandable from the viewpoint of the two covenants. The covenant with Israel absolutely demanded obedience to the seventh-day rest (beginning at sunset on Friday to sunset Saturday). This is still observed, as one might expect, by orthodox Jews. 

But, the covenant that Christ brought had no Holy Day demands. Christ kept the Old Covenant Sabbath because he was born “under the Law” (Galatians 4:1-5). The new way of keeping the law in the spiritual intent (after the New Testament Church began) allowed freedom of worship (Romans 14:5-8 and Galatians 4:1-10).

The early Jewish Christians often continued with the old way of seventh-day rest and assembly. Yet, as the Church grew, it was mainly composed of Gentile converts who had the freedom to worship God “in Spirit and in truth” on any day (John 4:21-24). Sunday became an early tradition of worship for two major reasons. First, the Resurrection of Christ on early Sunday morning, and secondly, the giving of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was the only Old Testament Holy Day that always occurred on a Sunday. These two major events in the transition from the Old Covenant ways to the New Covenant were ample reasons to have a Sunday day of assembly. 

The early Protestant Reformers, like Martin Luther, recognized that the Old Covenant Holy Days did not transfer over into the New Covenant. Even in the Book of Genesis where the seventh-day rest is first mentioned, only God is noted as the One resting (Genesis 2:2-3). No mention is made of Adam or Eve resting or anyone else until thousands of years later just before the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mt. Sinai (Nehemiah 9:13-14). 

Indeed, it is specifically the Holy Days that are mentioned by St. Paul in Colossians 2:16-19 as being mere “shadows” of the greater reality that came from Christ. How is Christ likened to the Sabbath? Sabbath means “rest.” For the Old Covenant, this was a physical rest of the body. In the New Covenant, the “rest” that we enter is something spiritual. The Israelites did find “rest” in the land from enemy nations (Joshua 1:13). But, the Bible makes it clear that this “rest” was not the reality, but only the shadow of the intended rest (Hebrews 4:6-8). Christ offers this “rest” – his rest -- to all who come to him (Matthew 11:28). This is the real rest. It is the “rest” from all the hard labor and heavy burdens due to sin. It is the transition from darkness into light. It is salvation rest that imparts eternal life free from horrors of sin and death. It is achieved by faith in Christ, not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-10). We must put aside all our works and enter God’s rest as a free gift from him alone. That victory is especially celebrated every Sunday remembering Christ’s resurrection from the dead on that day and the giving of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. This is God in His fulness: Creator, Savior and Comforter bringing needed rest to our souls.

So, we see that the “rest” is no longer a certain day, as it was under the Mosiac Law. Rather, the shadow of the Sabbath was created by something Christ would later accomplish. In the beginning, God rested from His work of Creation by resting on the seventh day. In like manner, during the Messiah’s time on Earth, Jesus did the works of His Father (John 4:34). He accomplished every work, every purpose He had been sent in the flesh to do (John 17:1-5). This work was finished on the cross (John 19:30). He proved to be the Son of God through His resurrection (Romans 1:1-4). All that was needed for our salvation was accomplished (Hebrews 5:7-10). We now enter into His rest (salvation) on Christ’s merits alone. All that had been foretold from the Promise in the Garden of Eden and through the prophets was fulfilled in Christ. The reality has come. The shadow is no longer needed.