Does the Sabbath Apply Today? Part 1
by Andrew Larkin
The other day I was preaching on Matthew 12:1-21 which sees controversy between the Pharisees and Jesus concerning the Sabbath day. Such a passage raises the question of whether the Sabbath still applies today?
Let us recap what the Bible says about the Sabbath.
In Genesis 2:2-3 we read:
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Then in Exodus 20:8-11 we read:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The New Testament era saw debates about what constituted work on the Sabbath. This then raises the question of application for today. Is the Sabbath binding on us and, if so, should that be on a Saturday, as the Seventh Day Adventists teach, or is it now on a Sunday? After all, at an early stage, Christians began to meet on a Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection and most churches today meet on a Sunday. That does not necessarily mean the early church considered Sunday a replacement for the Sabbath. Nor does it mean they considered the Sabbath to be something Christians should keep. Some Christians think the Sabbath should be kept; others believe Christians do not have to.
Much of the debate relates to how one understands the relationship of the covenants in scripture. Is there, essentially, continuity between the old and new covenants?[1] Is the emphasis on how they differ?[2] Is there a middle way which emphasises continuity and discontinuity?[3] Many argue the laws in the Old Testament can be categorised under the headings of “moral”, “civil” and “ceremonial” and would say the civil and ceremonial have been brought to their completion in Jesus, but the moral continues. The difficulty with this, however is, whilst helpful as a teaching tool to categorise the Old Testament laws, it is by no means clear Moses and others would have understood the law in these categories, nor that each law neatly fits into one of those categories. A further question is what relationship the 10 Commandments play in the Christians life and how it relates to, what Paul refers to as “the law of Christ” in Galatians 6:2.
Nine of the ten commandments are reiterated in the New Testament regarding how Christians should live. The only command not to be explicitly reiterated is the Sabbath, hence the debate on whether this command is binding or not. Paul writes in Romans 14:5-6:
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.
This verse strongly suggests there is freedom of conscience on this issue meaning some may wish to keep one day set apart as a day of Sabbath rest, whilst others may choose not to. We should not bind each other’s consciences on the issue but come to a place of faith, peace and a good conscience in our own minds. Within the wider scheme of how Christians relate to the Law, I find the argument of Brian Rosner in his book, Paul and the Law: Keeping the Commandments of God[4], to be compelling. The Law has been repudiated as a means of salvation; replaced by Christ and been reappropriated as moral teaching and wisdom for how to live.
Whilst I do not believe keeping the Sabbath is binding on us, I do think it is wise to set aside a day of rest. Why and how this might work is the focus of our next article?
[1] Covenant theology. For more on this, read the article, Covenant Theology, by Ligon Duncan at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/covenant-theology/#:~:text=Covenant%20theology%20is%20a%20framework,and%20New)%2C%20thus%20providing%20an
[2] Dispensationalism. For more on this, read the article, Dispensationalism, by Michael J. Vlach at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/dispensational-theology/
[3] Progressive-covenantalism. For more on this, read the article, Progressive-Covenantalism and New Covenant Theology, by Stephen Wellum at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/progressive-covenantalism-and-new-covenant-theology/
[4] This book is part of the excellent New Studies in Biblical Theology series and is available to buy at https://uk.10ofthose.com/product/9781844748914/paul-and-the-law-paperback?utm_source=google-ads&device=c&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAoQXzxra91zuZygeZ0ljup0Jd9I1c&gclid=CjwKCAjwtNi0BhA1EiwAWZaANBZB1Tq2ffXePW8uWiPrUcCTn5VqZ0HxO8khi5q1a70TBZZEZ3LowhoChkIQAvD_BwE