[NOTE : The author of this article at the time was examining Seventh Day Adventist views on the Sabbath, but the arguments and points in the article would likely be applicable to any person that leans toward Sabbatarian views today.]
There is a growing number of Christian groups which teach that Christians must observe the seventh-day Sabbath. The arguments presented by these Sabbatarians seem quite compelling. But are their conclusions correct?
Let us consider Exodus 31:12-17:
And Yahweh said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, Yahweh, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.[1] Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between Me and the people of Israel that in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
Consider, too, Deuteronomy 5:12-15,
Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your God. In it you shall do no work: … And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Note in this passage that God made the Sabbath covenant with the people of Israel, the people He liberated from Egyptian slavery and their descendants (generations). The passage in Deuteronomy also ties Sabbath-keeping with their enslavement in Egypt and their liberation therefrom.
According to these passages of Scripture God made the Sabbath covenant as a sign between Him and the nation of Israel whom He liberated. So God did not make this covenant with mankind in general.
Sabbatarians will not agree with this last statement. They point to Genesis 2:2-3 which reads:
And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.
From this they assert that God has mandated all of humankind to observe the Sabbath since the time of Adam. However, this is an assumption in that no explicit statement was made to this effect, and no example is recorded in the Bible of anyone’s observance of Sabbath prior to Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
The Bible explicitly says that the nation of Israel was commanded by God to observe Sabbath. How could the Sabbath serve as a sign between God and Israel if its observance is mandated for all humankind?[2]
Next let us examine a passage from the Christian New Testament.
Acts 21:17-26 records certain events of Paul’s return to Jerusalem. Here we quote pertinent portions of the account:
{18} On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present … {20}… And they said to [Paul], “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the Law, {21} and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. {23} Do therefore what we tell you… [certain instructions are given for Paul to follow] {24}… Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the Law. {25} But as for the gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
Note that many thousands of the Jews had become believers in Jesus as the Messiah and were zealous for the Law. These believers were concerned because they had heard that Paul was teaching Jews in the dispersion to quit following Moses. They were NOT concerned with what Paul was teaching gentile believers. The events recounted here occurred in the early to mid 60’s AD.
Verse 25 quoted above refers to events that had occurred about fifteen to twenty years earlier which are recorded in Acts15. At that time some Jewish believers in Jesus began teaching gentile believers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” –Acts 15:1
This caused quite a stir among the gentile believers. Finally, a council meeting of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem was called to resolve this issue.
There certain Jewish believers contended,
“It is necessary to circumcise [the gentile believers] and to order them to keep the Law of Moses.” –Acts 15:5
After much discussion it was finally resolved what course to take. A letter was sent to the gentile believers, a portion of which read,
Acts 15:28-29 {15:28} For it seemed good to the holy spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: {29} that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
Note first and foremost that Sabbath observance was not included in these requirements! It might be objected that neither was stealing or murder included, which is true. But the facets of the Mosaic Law which were delineated are areas where pagan morality was significantly different from the Law. Pagans understood that stealing, murder, and other moral issues were wrong, and where their standards were not so different no special mention needed to be made. Since pagans did not observe seventh-day Sabbath, its specific mention would be expected to enjoin its observance among gentile believers.
As noted earlier Sabbatarians assert that Sabbath observance was mandated before the Law of Moses and binding upon all humankind.
We disagree with this; but even if it were true, it would have no bearing on the issue. All the requirements selected by the council for gentile observance were pre-Mosaic. Even circumcision which was a primary point of discussion in the council meeting, but NOT included in the conciliar letter, was pre-Mosaic. These facts reinforce the conclusion that Sabbath observance would have had to be specifically mentioned to be included.
In his letters Paul wrote several lists of sins and/or sinners who would not inherit the kingdom of God. One such passage is Galatians 5:19-21:
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
See also Romans 1:28-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:3-5; and 2 Timothy 3:1-5, where Paul speaks of people in the last days. Another such list, not by Paul, is Revelation 21:8 :
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
What do all these lists have in common regarding the subject at hand? None of them, not a single one, mentions Sabbath-breaking or Sabbath-breakers!!!
One other passage in the Christian Testament needs examination. Hebrews 4:9-10 reads,
So then, there remains a Sabbath–rest [3] for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.
The context for understanding this passage is quite large. Please read Hebrews 3:7-4:13. The passage speaks of a rebellion by those liberated from Egypt. Verses 18 and 19 of chapter 3 comment:
And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
What situation is being referred to here? Numbers chapters 13 and 14 report that just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land of Canaan men were sent in to spy out the land. The report of ten of the spies struck fear in the hearts of the people so that they wanted to turn back to Egypt! Consequently, their fear and unbelief in God’s protection led to His curse,
None of the men who have seen My glory and My signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed My voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised Me shall see it. –Numbers 14:22, 23
Israel failed to enter the Promised Land. Why? Even though they had been observing seventh-day Sabbath, and despite having witnessed many miraculous events performed on their behalf, they failed to rest their faith in God when danger loomed on the horizon!
The writer of Hebrews continues (Hebrews 4:4-10),
{4}For He has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.” {5} And again in this passage He said, “They shall not enter My rest.” {6} Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience [the incident explained above], {7} again He appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward,… “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” {8} For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. {9} So then, there remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God, {10} for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.
Here we find mentioned the seventh day, but we also find the mention of another day. What is this “another day”? Today! Today is the day we enter God’s rest through belief and obedience. Today is the day we cease from our selfish works to do the works of God. Today, each and every day, is the Christian’s Sabbath!
For the Christian who finds seventh-day Sabbath observance spiritually beneficial it is not a sin to do so. And for the Christian who is convinced it is mandated, it would be a sin not to.
But for all Christians Jesus said,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35; also consider Romans 13:8-10; 14:4-6
Regardless of one’s position on the seventh-day issue, it is this Christ-like love which will motivate us to live the Sabbath-life every day, resting our faith in God.
Additional Considerations
In the Gospel accounts Jesus caught a lot of grief for “violating” the Sabbath. If Sabbath observance was mandated for all Christians one would think that some discussion would be recorded in the epistles concerning the do’s and don’ts of Sabbath.
Also, Christianity was appealing to the slave class. One would expect some comment, if not in Scripture, then at least in history, concerning gentile masters and their reactions to gentile slaves who one week could work on the seventh day and the next week could no longer work for having become Christians. If such a historical record existed, SDAs [Seventh-day Adventists] would be proclaiming it loudly.
I do not know when the SDAs believe that the Catholic Church came into existence; but I would assume no earlier than AD 325 when Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity.
[I believe that the Church by this point in time to be in error or they would not have become ‘bedfellows’ with Constantine. Nor can it be said that they became in error overnight. Aberrant teaching had been developing with the influx of Greek thought, philosophy, and the decline of Jewish thought after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.]
The SDAs teach that the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. The “Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs,” edited by David Bercot quotes several so-called Church Fathers who spoke against Jewish Sabbath. The earliest he records was by Ignatius (circa AD 105),
“…no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day.”
Perhaps the most famous early Church Father is Justin Martyr. Bercot’s book contains 5 quotes showing that he did not observe seventh-day Sabbath. All of the quotes are dated circa AD 160. I will quote two of them.
“You [a Jew] now have need of a second circumcision, although you glory greatly in the flesh. The new law requires you to keep a perpetual Sabbath. However, you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are godly… The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances. If there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so… Then he has kept the sweet and true Sabbaths of God.”
And
“There was no need of circumcision before Abraham. Nor was there need of the observance of Sabbaths, or of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses. Accordingly, there is no more need of them now.”
Besides the six quoted or alluded to here, Bercot records eleven more quotes made before AD 325 showing that seventh-day Sabbath was not, according to these Church Fathers, being observed by Christians. Some of these quotes even speak in favor of the first day.
THESE QUOTES DO NOT RESOLVE THE SABBATH QUESTION, BUT WHAT THEY DO SHOW IS THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DID NOT CHANGE THE PRACTICE FROM SEVENTH-DAY OBSERVANCE TO FIRST-DAY OBSERVANCE.
That change had already been made by many, perhaps most, and possibly by all gentile Christians. I have no figures on this point.
[Ironically, the Church of Constantine’s day developed the doctrine of the trinity, which the SDAs thoroughly embrace. (Some of the early Church Fathers make some trinitarian-sounding comments also. Their view, though far more trinitarian than what I believe the Bible teaches, does not match exactly with the orthodox view either.)]
SDAs make a big deal out of a passage wherein it speaks approvingly of those who keep the commandments of God. The Bible is the Word of God, and any command in it is a commandment of God. So there are many more commandments than the 10 given at Mount Sinai. Love your neighbor and love your enemies are two of the most important. Consider Romans 13:8-10.
The Pharisees who opposed Jesus were very good about observing Sabbath. Though they tried to sidestep the commandments under certain circumstances, they went overboard on others. But when it came to loving others, they fell very short.
Not all of God’s commandments apply to everyone for all time. One example is the command to circumcise those wishing to enter into covenant with God.
Another point in which SDAs make a big (unwarranted) deal is that the 4th Commandment begins with the word “Remember.” Why? The Israelites had just left slavery in Egypt. They were not in the habit of observing Sabbath. Keeping Sabbath was not just a day of not working. There were preparations that needed to be made, things that had to be done, before the onset of Sabbath. Just before Moses died he reiterated the 10 Commandments. Notice at Deuteronomy 5:12 the word Remember is not used this time. Why? Because the Israelites had been observing Sabbath for 40 years. They were now in the habit; their observing Sabbath had become second-nature. Yet in verse Deut 5:15 they are told, “And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt…” Why? Because that event was now forty years in the past; and most of those who actually left Egypt had died off.
[1] This writer knows of no Christian Sabbatarians that obey God’s command to execute violators of the Sabbath!
[2] Sabbatarians also use Jesus’ statement recorded at Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” to prove that Sabbath observance is mandated for all humankind. Israel was liberated from hundreds of years of slavery. Sabbath observance would act as a reminder of their abject slavery in the past and a preventative to their merciless exploitation of others in the future. Contrary to the spirit of the Sabbath the scribes and Pharisees were enslaving the Jews again with their added rules and regulations regarding the Sabbath. A paraphrase of what Jesus meant might read, The Sabbath was intended as a humane provision, not as a way to enslave men.
[3] The Greek word rendered here as Sabbath–rest occurs nowhere else in the Bible, not even in reference to the seventh-day Sabbath. It appears to have been a special term coined by the author of Hebrews.