There’s a billboard near my house that says, “Christian means Christ-like. Jesus kept the Sabbath (Saturday) holy. Do you?”
That’s pretty convincing, isn’t it? After all, Jesus did keep the Sabbath day. So shouldn’t His followers do the same?
Well, before you answer that, consider this: According to Exodus 35:1–2, the Sabbath day was so important, it says that anyone who breaks the Sabbath is to be put to death. If it’s that big of a deal, we should probably be aware of this issue: Are we to keep the Sabbath day holy or not?
In this study, we’re going to look at what the Bible actually says about the Sabbath day and whether Christians today are supposed to keep it. And if you haven’t read our previous study, where we showed from Scripture that the Law of Moses was only ever given to the Israelites and was never binding on Christians, go check that out, because this study builds on that one.
Jesus fulfilled the Law
When we read through the New Testament, we see that Christians are expected to follow the covenant of Christ. And it’s true, when we read the New Testament, nine of the Ten Commandments find similar instructions for Christians today. What’s the one that doesn’t seem to have a parallel in the new covenant? “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
So does that mean Christians are just free to ignore one of the Ten Commandments? Actually, no. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, and when we are in Him, His righteousness is applied to us. We don’t live by our works, but by His. So in a very real sense, Christians do fulfill the Law of Moses—not by following it literally, but by living in the One who fulfilled it completely.
Let’s look at the history of the Sabbath.
Sabbath day history
In Exodus 16:22–30, we find the first time the Sabbath is commanded. It was a commandment that all work was to be done for six days, but on the seventh day of the week (which is Saturday to us), they were to do no work. Instead, they were to rest. This commandment was given to the Israelites after they had left Egypt and were on their way to the promised land. They were told not to gather manna on the seventh day, yet they still tried to go out and collect it. Why? Because they weren’t used to resting on that day.
Later, as the Levites were blessing God, they said:
You came down also on Mount Sinai,
Nehemiah 9:13–14
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
The Sabbath day was officially given at Mount Sinai. That means it was not known or practiced by anyone who lived before then. Think about it: all the faithful men and women from Adam to Joseph—none are ever said to have kept the Sabbath, or even known about it. That includes Abraham, the father of the faithful.
Deuteronomy 5:1–5 says that this covenant (the Law of Moses) was not made with their fathers, but with those who were brought out of Egypt and were at the mountain. The Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath, were part of that covenant (Deuteronomy 5:6–22).
So who was the Sabbath for? The Israelites. It served two main purposes:
- A reminder of God’s rest from creation (Exodus 20:11)
- A weekly memorial of Israel’s rescue from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15)
Before we move on to the next point, let’s address an objection that is often brought up regarding the Sabbath’s connection to creation. Genesis 2:1–3 says:
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Since the seventh day was blessed from creation, doesn’t it follow that everyone from Adam onward would have obeyed the Sabbath law? Let us remember that Moses was the author of the book of Genesis. Just like we have no record of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob obeying the Sabbath, we also have no evidence that they even knew the details of Genesis 2:1–3. Instead, Moses wrote those words for the Israelites, people who did have the Sabbath law. Now, let’s see what the Sabbath law required of the Israelites.
What the Sabbath really required
Many people believe the misconception that, since church is for Sunday for Christians, then the Sabbath was basically the same for the Israelites: church on Saturday. No, the general idea for the Sabbath was not to assemble for worship and fellowship; it was to rest. That’s what the word Sabbath (שַׁבָּת [šaḇâṯ]) means. Rest. But it wasn’t just a suggestion to take an afternoon nap. It was a strict and entire day of complete rest—no work, no cooking, no travel, no buying, no selling. To look into the commandments further, check out these Scriptures: Exodus 16:29–30; Exodus 20:10; Exodus 35:3; Nehemiah 10:31; and 13:15–19.
People who claim to keep the Sabbath today often treat it as simply a church day. But that’s not what the Sabbath command was. And if someone insists on keeping it, Exodus 35:1–2 says that the penalty for breaking it was death. You can’t cherry-pick parts of the Law. Remember what we studied in the previous study? Paul explains multiple times in the book of Galatians that if you want to bind one part of the Law of Moses, you’re responsible for the entire thing (see Galatians 5:3).
Did Jesus and Paul keep the Sabbath?
So, is it true that Jesus kept the Sabbath holy? Yes.
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
Luke 4:16
But is it true that, because Jesus kept the Sabbath, we should too? No. Jesus was living under the old covenant. He kept it perfectly, as part of fulfilling the Law.
On the other side of the cross, after Jesus’ death, when the new covenant was in effect, we do see examples of some of Jesus’ disciples going to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. But, before we say we should too, we need to ask why.
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
Acts 17:1–4
Why did these traveling evangelists go into the synagogue of the Jews every time they came to a new city? Notice that this was not a Christian assembly. It was a synagogue of the Jews. That’s where the Jews went to discuss the Scriptures. Who better to start with when spreading the good news than the people who knew the prophecies of the Messiah? Paul was not keeping the Sabbath as law; he was using the opportunity to evangelize.
How Christians should treat the Sabbath day
Colossians 2:16–17 is the only place in the epistles, which were written to express kingdom life to disciples of Jesus, that mentions the Sabbath day. Don’t let that fact escape you. The following passage is the only place in Scripture where Christians are given any instruction on how to treat the Sabbath day. Here’s what it says:
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
In other words, Christians were not commanded to keep the Sabbath; they were told not to judge or be judged about it. Some Jewish Christians still felt attached to it as a tradition, and Paul says, be patient with each other. The Sabbath was a shadow, and Jesus is the substance. That means the Sabbath pointed forward to something greater, just like a shadow points to the real thing. And that real thing is Christ. But that doesn’t mean you have to go against everything you are used to from your previous life. In Romans and 1 Corinthians, we see a similar tension regarding eating meat sacrificed to idols. To Jews, the Sabbath day was Law, and breaking it was punishable by death. To a Jew who became a Christian, it would have violated their conscience to abandon that tradition. So, to the mixed assembly of both Jews and Gentiles who had become Christians, Paul says, “let no one judge you in… sabbaths.” That’s a far cry from saying that the Sabbath is binding under Christ, and you’re disobeying Jesus if you don’t keep it. If the Sabbath were a commandment in the covenant of Christ, this would have been the perfect place to make that clear. But, as the only instruction Christians have regarding the Sabbath day is to not judge each other if we do or don’t want to keep it, then the case is closed.
If you enjoy resting regularly, then good. Of course, there’s a difference between healthy rest and laziness. God has a lot to say about the corrupt hearts of the lazy. But if you work hard, you should rest. God gave the Israelites a mandatory rest because humans are prone to overworking themselves. And when you work and earn with your hands or mind, you may fall into the trap of believing that you have earned everything you have, giving yourself the glory, rather than God. For the Israelites who were rescued and provided for abundantly by the hand of God, they needed that weekly reminder as a commandment. Even though Christians are not commanded to take a weekly Sabbath, it’s still important to pause, reflect, and remember regularly how good God is.
What is the Christian’s Sabbath?
So, who changed the Sabbath? No one. It wasn’t changed. It was fulfilled. In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus says:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
If you’re in Jesus, you have found your Sabbath. You’ve found your rest. Take the time to read and reflect on Hebrews 4:1–11. The last three verses of that passage say:
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
The Israelites were offered the original Sabbath. They refused to keep it, and not just the commandment to rest; they refused to keep the entire covenant. So, God swore in His wrath, “They shall not enter My rest” (v. 3). Yet, the offer stands: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.”
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
Revelation 14:13
If you want true rest—not just for a day, but for eternity—you need to be in Jesus.
Now, some people may still have objections. For example, it’s common to hear, “Didn’t the Catholic Church change the Sabbath to Sunday?” We’re going to address that and other objections in upcoming studies, as well as why Christians worship on Sundays. Sign up now so you don’t miss them.
In the meantime, remember: The Sabbath wasn’t changed. It was fulfilled. If you’re in Christ, you’ve already entered the rest God has prepared.