In this short series in considering the Law, Legalism and the Sabbath, we have seen that the moral law, which is summed up in the 10 commandments, was given for the benefit of all of mankind for all time. If we wish to show our love for God, then we will do our best to be obedient to all the requirements of God’s Law. Grace exempts us from the consequences of the Law but not from obedience to it. Yet, in seeking to obey God’s laws there is always a danger that we can become legalistic like the Pharisees and that needs to be avoided. We noted that legalism is an attitude not a behaviour; it’s not about what we do, but why we do it. Two people can do the same thing; one can be legalistic and the other not. Yet, it is equally possible to use legalism as an excuse not to be obedient to what we know God wants. In this final article we consider how this understanding of the law and legalism helps us to correctly interpret Sabbath Day requirements (if there are any) and their relevance (if there is any) today. Obviously, in this short article, I am not able to give detailed arguments and will undoubtedly, leave many questions, but I trust it will give food for thought at the very least. I believe that this, in reality, is a fairly straightforward subject that has been overly complicated, often because of terminology and sometimes by selfish desires.
‘The Sabbath’ is frequently regarded as an Old Testament and distinctly Jewish concept which is no longer relevant since the New Testament Church came into being. So, to get the right perspective on this we firstly need to consider the purpose of the Sabbath. The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew “shabbāt” and the root word “shabath” meaning to cease or an intermission. The institution of this day was at creation: By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [ceased] from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. We should not underestimate the importance of what we read here in Genesis. God took 6 days to create the universe and everything in it so that He might rest and make the 7th day holy. God didn’t need to rest. He wanted to lay down a principle for His children to follow. The principle then is quite clear: one day in seven shall be a day of rest, but not only a day of rest, it is also to be a holy day – holy meaning set apart for God or different. This day is to be separate from the rest of the week. It is dedicated to God and is to be treated differently. I believe that thinking of the Sabbath as a purely Jewish day is a misunderstanding of the purpose of that day. Don’t forget, this was a command originally given at the time of creation, well before any Jewish nation existed. The principle of one day in seven was given for mankind and not simply one nation. Therefore, the day itself is not the important issue; what matters is why such a day was ordained. It is a holy day given that we might rest from work and dedicate time to God. It affords us the opportunity to get together for worship and spend time with God and away from normal activities. The Sabbath principle is still part of the New Covenant relationship; it’s simply a different day than it was under the Old Covenant. The newly formed Church knew the importance of having a ‘Sabbath’ day and so they chose to meet on the first day of the week (Sunday). It was called ‘The Lord’s Day’ as a celebration of the day that Christ rose from the dead and that also ensured that it was distinct from the Jewish Sabbath, but the principles still applied.
This day is a God-given
opportunity to spend
time with God’s people
worshipping Him; what
could be better?
What then does that mean for us in the 21st century? Is there any suggestion in the Scriptures that the purpose of the Sabbath Day has ever been done away with for the Christian Church? Some people will point you to Colossians 2:16-17: Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. The context here is that Jewish believers were trying to enforce the old Jewish ceremonies and regulations on the new Christian Church. Paul points out that these things have been fulfilled in Christ and are no longer a requirement. The reference to Sabbath Days is actually plural and refers to any of the ceremonial days that were set aside within the Jewish tradition. However, this is not a reference to The Sabbath Day because, as we have seen, that was not part of the ceremonial law. The Sabbath Day laid down at creation was not a shadow of what was to come in Christ, rather it is a necessity for the well-being (physically and spiritually) for all people for all time.
The big question then is, how should we treat this day? I believe this is a matter for individual conscience and we are not to be prescriptive or judgemental. There are however, some principles laid down by Jesus in Matthew 12. Here our Lord instructs the people (and the Pharisees in particular) what is ‘lawful’ to do on the Sabbath: namely, what is essential and doing good to help others. He picks some ears of corn so that He and His disciples may eat. This is the principle of doing what is essential; they needed to eat and Jesus met that need. He also talks of rescuing a sheep and then He heals a man’s hand, this gives us the principle of doing good for those in need.
So, who decides what is essential and what is doing good? As I have said, that comes down to individual conscience, but perhaps if we were to ask ourselves the question, Is what I’m doing in line with the 4th commandment and is it essential or necessary to help others in need? we might gain a better perspective.
Sadly today, there is very little desire for keeping Sundays special, even amongst Christians. The prevailing view is that Sunday is a day for us to do what we want as long as we make a little time for God somewhere along the way. As long as I ‘do church’ for an hour in the morning the rest of the day is mine. Yet, this day is a God given opportunity to spend time with God’s people worshipping Him; what could be better?
Let me finish by hopefully framing this subject in a more positive light as we must each decide for ourselves how this should work out in our own lives.
It is the mark of a true believer that it will be our desire to obey God in all that He asks of us. This stems not from legalism but out of love in response to God’s love for us. The commands we see in Scripture are not there to be restrictive or a burden, rather they are there for our benefit. Our obedience, out of love, will always be a blessing. This is best summed up in the following passage, with which I will close.
‘If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’S holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.’ The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 58:13-14