IS
THERE A CHRISTIAN SABBATH?
Pastor
J. C. O’Hair
Is the first day of the week “the
Christian sabbath” or “the Lord’s day?”
Let us read Genesis 2:2 and 3 and Exodus
31:16 and 17: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and
He rested (sabbathed) 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.” “Wherefore the children
of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their
generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and THE CHILDREN
OF ISRAEL for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the
seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.”
In Genesis 1:31, we read that at the end
of the sixth day, after man was made in the image and likeness of God, God saw
that all His work was very good. God was hard at work on the first day. But God
“sabbathed” in His perfect work of creation. But it was on the seventh day. God
rested in His perfect work of creation. But God’s rest was surely disturbed
after the serpent beguiled Eve and spoiled God’s perfect work. Now the whole
creation is travailing in pain. (Romans 8:21 to 23).
Christ entered, by His blood, into
heaven, having obtained eternal redemption for us, and He sat down in heaven on
the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 9:12 - Hebrews 10:12 - Hebrews
1:2 and 3). This He did after He cried on the cross, “finished.” (John 19:30).
Christ rested in a perfect work of redemption. Christ arose on the first day of
the week. Christ was dead and in the sepulchre on the seventh day, Israel’s
sabbath. Before He went to Calvary Christ said, “Come unto Me and I will give
you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Then on the cross He became the end of the law for
righteousness to believers. (Romans 10:4). “Therefore there remaineth a rest to
the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased
from his own works, as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4:9 and 10).
By trusting and resting in the perfect
redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ we learn that, under grace, the
believer has rest, but no sabbath; as Israel, under the law, had the sabbath
but no rest. Christ is the believer’s sabbath. Christians should thank God that
one day in seven is set aside for special worship and spiritual activities; but
the first day of the week is certainly neither the Christian sabbath nor the
Lord’s day. In Revelation 1:10 John was projected into the day of the Lord and
was not talking about Sunday. It seems that the “first day” was a special day
with the first Christians; but we may be sure that they did not petition Caesar
to force the sinners to close their shops.
There can be no sabbath without
stone-throwers to execute those who gather sticks or light fires or do any
servile work on that day. (Numbers 15:32 - Exodus 35:3). God gave men a perfect
work at Sinai, with a sabbath. They did not and could not perfectly keep that
law and they found no sabbath (rest) in the law.
Christ was a seventh-day sabbath-keeper.
(Luke 4:16). But He was Lord of the sabbath day. (Mark 2:28).
The sabbath was a covenant between
Jehovah and Israel. (Exodus 31:14 to I6). There can be no universal sabbath
with such variations of time; especially with Israel cast away. (Romans 11:15).
Abraham had no sabbath to keep. He found
rest in a Person, not in a day. So also do Christians today. There is no
mention of the sabbath between Genesis 2:2 and Exodus 16:23 to 29; that period
called “from Adam to Moses.” (Romans 5:14).
Christian, “let no man judge you with
respect to the sabbath.” (Colossians 2:16). Christians should be glad that they
can gather for worship on the first day; and while they should not be
legalistic concerning the first day of the week, yet they should say with Paul,
I Corinthians 8:13.
Posted By- Cecil and Connie Spivey
Cspivey1953@gmail.com
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