How does the commandment to "remember the Sabbath" apply today?”

Question: “How does the commandment to "remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy" apply today?”

This has been asked many times over the years, and is kind of a trick question as it applies to a far larger set of commandments than just the ones pertaining to the Sabbath. I think that we need to consider three separate biblical issues regarding the Sabbath: Commandments, Purpose, and Principles. There were many prohibitions established in the Old Testament (OT) that applied to ancient Israel but no longer apply today as commands, but are still part of God’s Word and are useful for instruction on many levels. Those commands were part of God’s covenant (contract) with Israel. Today, if we are Christians, we are not under obligation to the requirements of the old covenant; instead we are part of the new covenant. Interestingly, all the moral commands of the OT are repeated in the NT, but the ceremonial, dietary, public worship, public health, and anti-idolatry laws are not renewed. Don’t misunderstand me, the NT is very strong in its stand against idolatry, and other sinful lifestyles, but does not contain commands to enforce physical punishment upon those choosing to live in rebellion to God’s plan like the OT does. So to answer your question about the command to "remember the Sabbath and keep it holy", I would say that we no longer have the weight of such a command upon us just like we no longer need to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to worship God in Israel’s great national festivals.

Now let’s consider what the purpose of the Sabbath was. Jesus said on more than one occasion that the Sabbath was created for man and not man for the Sabbath. Jesus also said that He was the Lord of the Sabbath and that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus provoked considerable anger against himself from the religious leaders of his day by violating their legalistic Sabbath commandments. What did Jesus do on the Sabbath? He taught in the synagogues, healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, taught his disciples, and went about his Father’s business. Here are a few passages from the life of Christ that are a helpful study—Matthew 12:1-12; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-11; Luke 13:10-16; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 14:1-6; John 5:1-15; John 7:21-24; John 9.

The Jewish Sabbath celebrated a finished creation. It involved mandatory resting from one’s normal work in order to trust God for provision. The Sabbath was a revolutionary concept in the ancient world . . . a six-day work week; because God loved us he gave us a day of rest.

So what is the Sabbath principle? Regular weekly sabbath rest is a good thing for us:

• physically—to rest. Our bodies need a break and if we don’t take one they will.
• economically—to trust God, not our own efforts, to provide. Can God make up for the time we take to rest from the insidious intrusion of worldly cares, or do we live like we have to handle it all ourselves?
• socially— to gather in community with family and fellow believers to remember what the Lord has done for us and to encourage each other –Heb. 10:25.
• spiritually— to take time to serve someone besides ourselves, to worship God, and to quiet the other noises and demands of life to listen for the Shepherd’s voice).

Your original question begs another question . . . that of worshipping on the Jewish Sabbath (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) or on “the Lord’s Day” (Sunday). The early church began meeting after the resurrection on Sunday (usually in the evening), which they called “the Lord’s Day” to celebrate and remember Jesus’ resurrection which signaled a finished redemption. Whereas in the OT believers kept a Sabbath day, we are now called to live a Sabbath life! We don’t set aside one day a week to worship and six days to do our own thing. We no longer have to work to earn salvation but have received it by grace. We now are called to rest from our own efforts to procure that which we never could, and instead live in the rest, joy, and peace of right relationship with our Lord. Every day is a day of worship, a day of seeking God’s best for others, a day of trusting God for our salvation! Saturday? Yes! . . . Sunday? Yes! . . . Today? Yes!

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17 ESV)