By the Lord’s help I wish to examine the subject in the form of a dialogue, there are three speakers: the first a Minister, the second, a young Christian called Nathanael, the third, an unbeliever called Thomas.
MINISTER: Well friends let us have a discussion about the Sabbath or Lord’s Day.
NATHANAEL: Sir, I would like to know the true position for a Christian in regard of the keeping of the Sabbath. Many say it is a Jewish institution.
MINISTER: Well Nathanael first you must understand that it is not only a Jewish law, because we read in Genesis 2: 2,3 that God instituted and blessed the Sabbath day in the garden of Eden after finishing His work of creation.
Genesis 2: 2,3 states: “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.
“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”.
So this day was instituted hundreds of years before the Jewish nation existed, even before men fell into sin. But after the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they were again reminded of it, in the giving of the law of God in the ten commandments on Mount Sinai by his servant Moses, Exodus 20: 8, 9,10, 11. Verse 8 says: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. So it is part of the moral law, which can never be abrogated. For instance who would question the duty of the keeping of the 8th commandment, “Thou shalt not steal”, which is also part of the moral law? Therefore we ought to keep the Sabbath day holy, first, because of God’s own example as a day of rest; also to reflect on the glory of God in creation, and providence; and especially, as New Testament believers, to reflect on the glory of the new creation in the finished work of Christ by giving Himself a perfect sacrifice for sin.
We read in Scripture that God’s laws are holy, just and good. We see God’s goodness in giving us six days to do our own work, and requiring only one day for Himself. It is surely evil to rob God of His own holy day by doing our own thing. So it is just that God requires a day of rest to keep holy, lest we forget our Creator and Benefactor, and would be swallowed up by the materialism of our age, or be exploited by the worldly businessman. Therefore God has promised His blessing by the keeping of His day.
Many a Christian knows from experience, that at the end of the week they are often oppressed with worldly cares and concerns, and that during and after the keeping of the Sabbath, they are lifted above these cares by keeping His day, by seeing things in the right perspective in the light of eternity, and so getting renewed strength to carry on joyfully through the new week.
THOMAS: But how are we to know we are keeping the right day anyway, as the Jews and Seventh Day Adventists keep the seventh day, and the Christian Church the first day of the week? How can you change a moral law?
MINISTER: Before answering this question, let us have another look at the fourth commandment which is part of the moral law and cannot be broken. Let us understand that the morality of the Sabbath does not consist in being the seventh day, but in keeping a whole day in seven holy to the Lord, so by a change of day the morality of the commandment is still preserved. Having said this, let us now examine from Scripture which is the right day to keep for us. As we find out by studying the Scripture, the seventh day was always kept in Old Testament times until Christ’s resurrection, but then his disciples started keeping the first day of the week, being the resurrection day of Christ after He had finished His work of redemption, which is a far greater work than creation. In creation God spake and it was done, but in the work of redemption, God, the Son, became man, while still retaining His Divine nature. As the God-Man He was able to suffer and bear the sins of His people on the cross, and by His life He worked out a righteousness for His people to be imputed to their account. So they are accounted righteous in the sight of God, because Christ kept the law perfectly for them. By faith a believer is made partaker of these blessings.
Christ himself says in Matthew 12: 8 “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” Therefore He has the authority to change the day, and His apostles, who acted by His direction, and under the influence of His Spirit, constantly met for divine worship on the first day of the week, which is called, “the Lord’s day” Acts 20: 7. Rev 1: 10. The apostle John says: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega.” Then follows Christ’s revelation to His servant John. So we see that Christ honoured His own day, in revealing His mind to His servant.
Now in regard of the Seventh Day Adventists’ claim that the Emperor Constantine’s edict in the year AD 321 changed the seventh day to the first day of the week, is grossly misleading. The truth is that Constantine on becoming a Christian merely ratified what was the common Christian practice since the days of the apostles.
NATHANAEL: Sir, after what you have said I can clearly see the duty of keeping the Lord’s Day, but how must we understand Rom. 14: 5,6 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 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 given God thanks”? And also Colossians 2: 16, 17 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath day’s; which are a shadow of things to come: but the body is of Christ.”
MINISTER: Well, these texts are very similar, so we can treat them as one. As most Bible students know, the early church was troubled by Judaisers. These were Jews who insisted that the Mosaic law continued in force, and that Christians were bound to conform to its prescriptions with regard to the distinction between clean and unclean meats, and the many feast days on which all labour ceased.
At that time when this epistle was written, the church was in a transition period, therefore the apostle by inspiration leaves it to the individual to keep them, but not to judge one another for keeping, or not keeping them. Some at first were keeping the Jewish Sabbath, and some the Lord’s Day, we read in history books some even kept both days.
So, in no way are we to understand that the weekly Sabbath is optional. It has been observed from the creation, and the apostles themselves introduced and perpetuated the Lord’s day, as the Christian Sabbath.
We can divide the laws of the Old Testament into three categories: 1. Moral Laws: These are summarised in the ten commandments, and are binding on all men for all time. 2. Ceremonial Laws: These are largely typical, pointing to Christ (offerings, holy days etc), fulfilled in Christ, and therefore are shadows passed away. 3. Civil Laws: These have largely to do with the Jewish state.
THOMAS: Sir. But what about this text Rom. 6: 14. “For ye are not under the law, but under grace.” I think therefore we are not obliged to keep a Sabbath.
MINISTER: Well, friend, a believer is free from the law as a covenant of works. That means the law cannot condemn him now as far as his standing before God is concerned, because the believer looks by faith to Christ, the one who fulfilled the law on his behalf and satisfied divine justice by suffering the penalty for sin on the cross on behalf of his people. But, as a rule of life, the believer seeks by grace to run in the way of God’s commandments, as Christ says: “If you love me keep my commandments”. The commandments are holy, just and good, as His word declares.
As I said before, the Sabbath is an integral part of the moral law, therefore binding on all mankind. It is absurd to think that the law is not binding because of Christ’s sacrifice for sin.
In effect what you are saying is that because of Christ’s atoning work, we have now liberty to sin, which is blasphemy, as we know that sin is a transgression of the law of God.
I conclude as a Puritan put it: “Christ redeems us from the curse of the law, but not from the command of the law.”
I hope that this will clear up this question.
NATHANAEL: Sir, thank you for answering our questions. Please could you give us some guidance as how to keep his day holy.
MINISTER: Well, Nathanael, this is a very good question, because God’s word says that we must not only be hearers of His word, but also doers of the word. Well, first of all, we must make preparation for the day, by ordering our affairs in such a way that no work is left to be done on the Sabbath. Also spiritually we ought to make preparation. For instance, we ought to pray for grace to lay aside our worldly cares, so as to better observe His holy day. On His day we must not waste holy time, but seek to be diligent to improve the time by reading, praying and meditation, and of course in attending the house of God; but works of necessity and mercy may be done, as we have the example of Christ, in visiting and attending the sick. We must lay aside all works and recreations which are lawful on other days. Also we must teach our children the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of Wisdom.
I conclude by quoting Isaiah 58: 13, 14, which is far better than anything I can say.
“If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, not speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
Also the duty of the government is to uphold the Sabbath day by legislating laws to protect the day.
THOMAS: But many people do not want to be restricted to keep the Sabbath day. Why should the government enforce a law on an unwilling people?
MINISTER: Well, Thomas, the government, as a God given institution, is duty-bound to uphold the law of God, which is holy, just and good, even though many people do not see it that way. We, as fallen creatures, are often our own worst enemies.
Therefore there ought to be laws in place to protect the day from Sabbath trading, public transport, entertainment and the many blatant forms of Sabbath breaking in our land. The sad part is that today we see the very opposite — governments repealing these laws, thereby tempting many people into Sabbath work.
We therefore incur the displeasure of God, and his judgments are sure to follow our land. To truly love the Lord’s day there must be love to the Lord of the Sabbath. Therefore the duty of the Church is to teach the people how to keep the day holy, and by the true preaching of the Word, and by the blessing of the Spirit of God, this will bring the people to love the Lord of the Sabbath, and also to love His day as the best day of the week and so experience His blessing in it.
MINISTER: Friends, I conclude by advising you to carefully consider what I have told you. Endeavour to keep the Lord’s day in a scriptural way and I am sure you will receive the benefit of it for body and soul, for all God’s commandments are holy and just and good.
— J. H.