Should Christians keep the Sabbath?
When Jesus died on the cross, we were freed from adhering to the laws of the Old Testament. Does freedom from Old Testament laws include keeping the Sabbath? You might be thinking, yes, it was a law of the Jews which Christians no longer have to follow. Now think of the Ten Commandments. They are Old Testament laws, but Christians still follow them, right?
Keeping the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments. Should we only follow commandments 1-3 and 5-10, but skip the 4th commandant of keeping the Sabbath? No, we shouldn’t. We should, however, shift our mindset from must keep to choose to keep. As Christians, our rest is found in Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30), but our relationship with God grows when we also keep the Sabbath.
What is the Sabbath?
“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; He rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; He set it apart as a holy day.” (Exodus 20:8-11 MSG)
If we’re not well versed on the Sabbath, how can we decide if we should keep it? We know it is the 4th commandment, but what does it MEAN? In Hebrew, sabbath means “to stop” or “celebrate.” For the ancient Israelites, they lived a life with a rhythm of work and rest. On the Sabbath, they stopped, rested, and worshiped God.
Why did they decide to keep a sabbath day? The commandments were given to the Israelites after God saved them from slavery in Egypt. The Sabbath was a chance to celebrate their life with God. This came from the example God had set. God created the heavens and the earth in six days. After His work was done, he rested on the seventh day. God, our all-powerful and all-knowing God, chose to rest after completing His work. It set the standard for us in our lives, the same as it did for the ancient Israelites.
Understanding the Sabbath is one thing; putting it into practice is the next step.
How do we keep the Sabbath?
Rest is mandatory for our survival. It is just as important for us as food, water, and oxygen. If we don’t rest, we suffer. If we don’t keep the Sabbath, we also suffer. Our relationship with God suffers.
To keep the Sabbath properly, we should treat it like a weekly holiday. We go all out for our preparations for holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Doesn’t God deserve the same devotion? To fully enjoy the benefits of keeping the Sabbath, we also have to have our hearts and minds prepared.
You can’t pour from an empty cup. God knows we have a limit. The Sabbath is a gift to us to rest. With rest, we regain what we need in order to continue to serve God and others. The Sabbath for the Jews is Saturday and early Christians established the tradition of our Sabbath being on Sunday. However, with the way our lives can go, sometimes we don’t have the luxury of having Sunday off to fellowship and worship at church. Thanks to the freedom in Jesus, we aren’t required to observe the Sabbath on a particular day. You just need to make time for a period of rest to focus solely on your well-being and connection with God.
A few ways to rest and spend time with God
Study your Bible
Write in a journal. You can keep a prayer journal or choose a journaling devotional Bible.
Listen to Christian worship music
Take a walk in nature, enjoying God’s creations
Watch or listen to a sermon
Fellowship with friends
It is important to remember to keep the Sabbath,and the focus should be on resting in God. Your mind should be on worshiping God, not worrying about things still on your to-do list.
When we learn to rest in God, we can better give our all to Him. We can reflect on God’s goodness and faithfulness. Through our worship, our hearts connect to heaven through His spirit.
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. And every journey needs a Starting Point.
Starting Point groups are in-person, stress-free and judgment-free groups that meet periodically at Centerpoint Church. Here, you can spend some time getting to know fellow group members, reading and having an open conversation about topics like God, the Scriptures, faith, and Jesus. Completely new to the teachings of Jesus? Returning to church after a long break? Questioning the teachings you were brought up with or just unsure what you believe? Our Starting Point groups are here to help you navigate your faith journey. Get in touch with us to learn when the next Starting Point group is meeting or to join a Starting Point group.