What is the Sabbath day?

Response

At first glance, the inquiry “What is the Sabbath day?” appears quite straightforward. According to Exodus 20:8–11, the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, when the children of Israel were instructed to rest, in commemoration of God creating the universe in six days and then “resting” on the seventh day. Nevertheless, due to misunderstandings and misinterpretations by certain Christian factions, the significance of observing the Sabbath day has become muddled.

Certain Christian groups, like the Seventh Day Adventists, regard the Sabbath as a day of worship, the day when Christians should participate in church or worship services. While these groups generally also advocate for refraining from work on the Sabbath, the emphasis on the “day of worship” can sometimes overshadow the “day of rest.” Originally, the Sabbath was intended as a day of rest, a purpose that was preserved in the Mosaic Law (Exodus 16:23-29;31:14-16;35:2-3;Deuteronomy 5:12-15;Nehemiah 13:15-22;Jeremiah 17:21-27). Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices were offered daily at the tabernacle or temple. The “worship” was continuous. Additionally, specific instructions were given to Israel concerning a “sacred assembly” held on the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3;cf: Numbers 28:9). Observing the Sabbath served as the “sign” of the covenant between Israel and the Lord «Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am tThe LORD who sanctifies you.” , (Exodus 31:13).

The New Testament records that Jews and converts to Judaism gathered in synagogues on the Sabbath (Mark 6:2; Luke 4:31; Luke 13:10-16; Acts 13:14, 27, 42-44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4). Clearly, since no work was to be done on the Sabbath day, it was considered the ideal day for organized worship services. However, the New Testament does not mandate the Sabbath as the day of worship. The church is not bound by the Mosaic Law.

The church is under the New Covenant, established through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christians designating the Sabbath day as the day of worship. The only instances of Christians meeting on the Sabbath in the Scriptures refer to evangelistic activities in Jewish synagogues, which convened on that day. Acts 2:46 mentions early Christians gathering daily. The Bereans diligently studied the Scriptures daily “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” , (Acts 17:11). Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 both indicate that Christians gathered on the first day of the week. There is no evidence in the New Testament that the apostles or early Christians observed the Sabbath as the prescribed day of worship.

Traditionally, Christians have conducted their primary corporate worship services on Sundays, the first day of the week, in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, which took place on a Sunday Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1. It is essential to comprehend, however, that Sunday is not the prescribed day of collective worship either. There is no explicit biblical directive stating that either Saturday or Sunday should be the day of worship. Passages like Romans 14:5–6 and Colossians 2:16 grant Christians the liberty to honor a specific day or to regard each day as unique. God’s wish is for us to worship and serve Him unceasingly, daily, not exclusively on Saturday or Sunday. Kindly peruse our additional articles on the Sabbath day and Sabbath observance to delve deeper into this matter.