KEEPING THE SABBATH: SHOULD A BELIVER KEEP OR NOT KEEP THE SABBATH?
When I was at the university I heard about a certain religion that does not sit for exams on Saturdays. At Makerere University where I was studying at the time, they have a policy of scheduling exams on any day of the week and if someone does not sit for the exam it is considered as a re-take. If someone fails to sit for the paper or does not get the passing grade 3 times in a row then that student is discontinued from the university. This religion is called the Seventh Day Adventists and they are ready to be discontinued from the university if the exams are scheduled on Saturday or the day that they honor as the Sabbath. In this publication we shall examine the origins of the Sabbath and whether a New Testament believer has to keep the Sabbath or not.
Origins of the Sabbath
Genesis 2:1-3
(1) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
(2) And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and HE RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY from all his work which he had made.
(3) And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
God created the heavens and the earth in six days as the scriptures elaborate in the first chapter of the book of Genesis. Then on the seventh day God rested from all of His works. The day that we refer to as Saturday is the seventh day and also called the Sabbath according to the biblical account. There is no account of any of the early patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob keeping the Sabbath.
The first mention of the Sabbath occurs in the time of Moses when the Israelites were moving through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The Israelites were told not to pick the manna, which fell from heaven every night, on the Sabbath day (Ex 16:22-26). The Israelites gathered twice as much manna on the day before the Sabbath so that they could rest physically on the Sabbath day. Keeping the Sabbath is mentioned as one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses in Mount Sinai.
Exodus 20:8
(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
The fourth commandment among the Ten Commandments given to Moses is the command to remember the Sabbath day. The law also states that no work should be performed by the Israelites on the Sabbath in recognition of God having rested on the seventh day after the creation (Ex 20:9-11).
Various Old Testament kings, leaders and prophets in Israel emphasized the need to keep the Sabbath in obedience to the Law of Moses. The Lord instituted the Old Testament Sabbath so that the Isrealites as a nation could dedicate that day to listen to the teaching of the Word of God without any distractions. It also fulfilled a physiological need for the human body to rest after laboring in the fields or in any other kind of work for six days.
Reasons why a Born Again Christian under the New Testament is not required to keep the Sabbath:
Whereas it was an obligation for the Old Testament believers, that included Israelites and Jewish proselytes, to keep the Sabbath, the same is not the case in the New Testament. We are going to discover the reasons why it is not an obligation for the Born Again Christian to keep the Sabbath through the example of Jesus’ life, Jesus’ teachings and the teachings in the epistles.
- Jesus continually broke the Sabbath by healing the sick on the Sabbath day
(a) Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath
Matthew 12:10-13
(10) And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it LAWFUL TO HEAL ON THE SABBATH DAYS? that they might accuse him.
(11) And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
(12) How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore IT IS LAWFUL TO DO WELL ON THE SABBATH DAYS.
(13) Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Jesus encountered resistance to His healing ministry in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The Jews asked Him whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day. He referred them to the fact in their agricultural society it was common for the shepherds to pull out their sheep from the pit on the Sabbath days instead of leaving it to die. After giving this justification, Jesus went ahead to heal the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. The fact that the Jews in the synagogue, who were well versed with the Law of Moses, spoke out against Jesus’ healing ministry being performed on the Sabbath shows that it was a clear violation of the Law.
(b) Jesus healed the hunchbacked woman with a spirit of infirmity on the Sabbath
Luke 13:10-13
(10) And he was teaching in one of the synagogues ON THE SABBATH.
(11) And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
(12) And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
(13) And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Jesus went ahead to defy the Sabbath day by healing the woman whose back was bent over double or who had a hunchback. After the healing of the woman took place, the ruler of the synagogue rose up in anger to denounce this ministry because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.
(c) Jesus healed the man with dropsy on the Sabbath
Luke 14:1-4
(1) And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread ON THE SABBATH DAY, that they watched him.
(2) And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
(3) And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to HEAL ON THE SABBATH DAY?
(4) And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
Dropsy in modern medical terminology is called edema and it is the swelling and buildup of fluid in the body’s tissues, most commonly in the arms and legs. There were critical eyes in the chief Pharisee’s house observing to see whether Jesus would break the law by healing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath. Jesus went ahead to break the Law of Moses and healed the man with dropsy on the Sabbath day.
(d) Jesus healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath
John 5:5, 8-9
(5) And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
(8) Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
(9) And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was THE SABBATH.
Jesus went ahead to heal the lame man with an infirmity in his feet on the Sabbath day at the pool of Bethesda. The Jews who met the healed man at the temple found out that it was Jesus who healed him on the Sabbath. Upon learning this they tried to kill Jesus in the temple for having broken the Law of Moses by healing on the Sabbath (John 5:16, 18).
(e) Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath
John 9:1-7, 14
(1) And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
(6) When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
(7) And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
(14) And it was the SABBATH DAY when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
Another great healing miracle that Jesus performed was the healing of the man born blind at Jerusalem. In disregard to the Sabbath Law, Jesus anointed the blind man’s eyes with mud mixed with saliva and after the man washed in the pool of Siloam he was totally healed.
- Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath allowed his disciples to gather food on the Sabbath day
Mark 2:23-24, 27-28
(23) And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields ON THE SABBATH DAY; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
(24) And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
(27) And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
(28) Therefore the Son of man is LORD ALSO OF THE SABBATH.
There was a strict prohibition in the Law of Moses against doing any work on the Sabbath including harvesting crops for consumption or for storage. The disciples of Jesus Christ broke this Law by gleaning ears of corn on the very Sabbath day. When He was confronted by the Pharisees about this unlawful activity, Jesus replied that man was not made for the Sabbath. Jesus also made a powerful statement that the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath day and therefore can deal away with it at will. Since Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath he allowed his disciples to break the Sabbath thus setting a New Testament precedent.
- Jesus taught that the Old Testament Sabbath was not absolute
(a) Those who carried out circumcision broke the Sabbath
John 7:22-23
(22) Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye ON THE SABBATH DAY circumcise a man.
(23) If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
According to the Law of Moses, an infant was meant to be circumcised at the age of 8 days (Lev 12:3). If the day of circumcision fell on a Sabbath, the circumcision was still carried out religiously. Jesus pointed out the Law of the Sabbath was not absolute because the work of circumcision could be carried out on the Sabbath at will.
(b) The priests broke the Sabbath by carrying out the ritual sacrifices
Matthew 12:5
(5) Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple PROFANE THE SABBATH, and are blameless?
Numbers 28:9-10
(9) And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
(10) This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
The other example used by Jesus Christ to illustrate that the Sabbath was not absolute was the action of the priests at the temple on the Sabbath day. Whereas all other Israelites were resting at home on the Sabbath day, the priests were busy sacrificing two lambs and lifting them to be presented at the altar. The Jewish sages even invented a tradition to justify this Sabbath breaking by stating that any activity carried out in the temple does not break the Sabbath.
- Jesus taught that the type of rest He came to bring was rest for the souls of men
Matthew 11:28-30
(28) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find REST UNTO YOUR SOULS.
(30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The Old Testament emphasized rest for the physical body in the keeping of the Sabbath. However in the New Testament we learn that man is a tripartite being composed of spirit, soul and body (1Th 5:23). Jesus taught that He never came to emphasize a bodily Sabbath of rest but rather He came to bring us a rest in our souls or in the inner man.
- Jesus taught that those who claim to fulfill the Sabbath do it in a hypocritical way
(a) They rescue their animals trapped on the Sabbath
Matthew 12:11-12
(11) And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
(12) How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the Jews who claimed to keep the Sabbath by pointing out that these same people gladly rescued their sheep trapped in a pit on the Sabbath day. They did not think twice about rescuing an animal to break the Sabbath but cared so much for the law when it came to Jesus Christ healing or delivering a human being from the satanic oppression of sickness.
(b) They led their animals to the watering place on the Sabbath
Luke 13:14-15
(14) And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
(15) The Lord then answered him, and said, THOU HYPOCRITE, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
Another hypocritical standard of the “Sabbath keepers” was that they gladly led out their oxen and donkeys to the watering hole in violation of the Sabbath day law. Jesus saw through the selective keeping of the Sabbath by those who made exceptions when their wealth, in form of healthy cattle, was at stake.
(c) They do not go all the way to levy a death sentence on Sabbath breakers
Numbers 15:32-33, 35-36
(32) And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
(33) And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
(35) And the LORD said unto Moses, The man SHALL BE SURELY PUT TO DEATH: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
(36) And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
I have seen many subscribing to the Sabbath keeping religions but I have never heard any of them accepting to go all the way to receive the death penalty punishment as Sabbath breakers. When a man was caught gathering sticks in violation of the Sabbath, the man was brought before Moses and the Lord instructed that the Sabbath breaker should be stoned to death. If someone is to keep the Law of Moses in regards to the Sabbath, they should purpose to keep it to the tiniest detail and not just hypocritically pick and choose what they like.
(c) They break the Sabbath day’s journey restriction
Acts 1:12
(12) Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a SABBATH DAY’S JOURNEY.
A Sabbath day’s journey is one and a half kilometers, which is the distance between Jerusalem city and the Mount of Olives. I am very sure that those who subscribe to religions that keep the Sabbath do not all stay within a walking distance of 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the place of congregation. With the advent of vehicular travel, someone can easily travel 50km to the place of congregation on the Sabbath day not knowing that he or she has already broken the Sabbath.
- All days are equal in the sight of God in the New Testament
Romans 14:5-6
(5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be FULLY PERSUADED IN HIS OWN MIND.
(6) He that regardeth the day, REGARDETH IT UNTO THE LORD; and he that regardeth not the day, TO THE LORD HE DOTH NOT REGARD IT. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
God does not permit us to dogmatically set aside a day, whether it be a Wednesday, Sunday or a Saturday as an exclusive day of worship and then declare and Anathema curse on anyone who does not worship in the same day. Apostle Paul clearly teaches that it is left to the individual discretion of any church leader or church member which day they choose to set apart as a day of rest, day of corporate worship, day of fasting or day of meditation on the scriptures. The one who refuses to regard Sabbath as a day of exclusive corporate worship should not condemn the one who chooses to worship God on the Sabbath or on any other day of the week.
- Apostle Paul teaches that no one should condemn you for not keeping the Sabbath
Colossians 2:16-17
(16) Let no man therefore JUDGE YOU in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or OF THE SABBATH DAYS:
(17) Which are A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; but the body is of Christ.
The final reason why a born again Christian is not obligated to keep the Sabbath is because Apostle Paul teaches that no one should judge or condemn you for not keeping the Sabbath. The reason Apostle Paul gives is that the Sabbath is a shadow of things to come. If you are stranded in a pit with a loaf of bread in front of you, would you eat the bread to prevent starvation or you would eat the shadow of the bread? Many Sabbath keepers today forget that the Sabbath is a shadow of the bread and the real bread of life is Jesus Christ. That is why many are starving in the pit while focusing on the shadow and neglecting Christ who is the bread of life and who gives us rest for our souls.
Should someone be condemned for meeting on any specific corporate worship day of their choice?
I personally do not condemn any born again Church that chooses to have a church service on Saturday and throws out Sunday services altogether. When I was in Ethiopia for ministry in June 2022, I was hosted by a man of God called Apostle Adamu Shiphara whose ministry only met on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They considered Sunday like any other day when they could do work or rest at home. I had no single problem with their ministry program because I knew what Apostle Paul taught in Romans 14:5-6 concerning a believer regarding one day above another and being “fully persuaded in his own mind”. Many other religiously brainwashed Christians would have condemned him by stating that his ministry has no Sunday services.
The problem only comes in where a person who willingly chooses to fellowship in a church that runs their main services on a Sunday condemns a church that has their main services on a Saturday (Sabbath day). The early church outside of Jerusalem primarily met on Sundays because they considered it as the Lord’s Day or the day when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
The early Gentile church leaned towards having their main church services on Sundays
(a) Which day is the Lord’s day?
Revelation 1:10
(10) I was in the Spirit ON THE LORD’S DAY, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Apostle John states that when he was on the island of Patmos he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ on the Lord’s day, which in modern terms we call Sunday. It is clear from the gospel accounts that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week which we call Sunday (Mk 16:1-7).
(b) The Corinthian church primarily met on Sundays
1 Corinthians 16:2
(2) Upon the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
When Apostle Paul gave an instruction for the Corinthian Church, located in Greece, to collect an offering for the Church at Jerusalem, he knew that they always had their main church service on Sundays. That is why Apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian church to make the offertory collection during the Sunday service or the first day of the week.
(c) The early church in Troas, Asia Minor primarily met on Sundays
Acts 20:6-7
(6) And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
(7) And upon THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
Troas is a city on the coast of Mysia, in the north-west of Asia Minor, named after ancient Troy. During his missionary journey, Apostle Paul decided to minister to the church at Troas and the day he ministered to them is the first day of the week or Sunday. That was the day that the Gentile church in Troas chose to meet for their main church service and also have Holy Communion.
Conclusion:
There are examples of Apostle Paul preaching in the Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath but this was not an endorsement of Sabbath day services (Acts 13:4, 17:1-2). This was merely a strategy used by Apostle Paul to evangelize to the Jews in the diaspora since this was their main day of congregation. Likewise Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath is not an endorsement of Sabbath day services (Lk 4:16). Rather it was an opportune day that Jesus could leverage on to minister to the Jews and teach them the Kingdom of God principles when they we all gathered in one place. The early Jewish church in Jerusalem did not even exalt one single day above another since they met daily for services in the temple and also met daily for smaller home fellowships (Acts 2:46).
The only New Testament bias of choosing a day for worship is the endorsement of Sunday (first day of the week) services by the Gentile churches at Corinth and Troas. However this still should not lead us to make a doctrine out of Sunday services. We should still stick with the teaching in the epistles that whatever day is chosen for corporate church services, every Christian should be “fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5-6) in esteeming one day above another. This means that the person who chooses to have their main church services on a Sunday is as right as one who chooses to have their main church services on a Saturday.
Galatians 5:1
(1) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
The main error of religions such as Seventh Day Adventists is in making the “failure to keep the Sabbath day of rest” as a sin whereas as we have seen the New Testament does not make Sabbath keeping obligatory. Any person who condemns another to hell for not keeping a certain day of rest or worship whether it be the Sabbath (Saturday) or any other day is in grievous error Biblically and has entered the realm of legalistic heresy. The principle of liberty in Christ means that as long as you often attend a church service (by any name) that is Bible based with elements of prayer, praise, worship, testimonies and the teaching of God’s word, they day on which such a service is held does not matter to God.
Yours in Christ,
APOSTLE EDWARD SSEWANYANA
Chairman Edifire Ministries,
Founder & General Overseer of Worldwide Apostolic Church
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