Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath Day?

Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath Day?

Hi Mr. Waddey:
What about people working on the Lord's day? Either by choice or because the job demands it.
-Mike

Dear Michael:
Thank you for writing. If we were Jews living under the old covenant, we would be forbidden to do any menial or servile work on the Sabbath Day (Ex. 20:8-10). But we are not Jews and we do not live under the Law of Moses. We are Christians, living under the reign of Christ and his New Covenant. In his death on the cross, Christ to the Old Law out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Consequently we are to let no man judge us in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day which were a shadow of things to come, but the body (the reality) is Christ (Col. 2:14-17). We are to obey all things Christ commanded (Matt. 28:20).

As we examine the New Covenant, we find incorporated within it nine of the Ten Commandments, but not the Sabbath law. Since Christ did not tell us to treat the First Day of the Week as a sabbath (i.e. a day of rest) nor did he order us to abstain from work on that day. Our obligation on the First Day is to worship God and remember Christ's death and suffering in the Lord's Supper (I Cor. 11:24-26; Acts 20:7). Having done that, we can use the day for other legitimate purposes. For some that would be work, for others recreation. Others might visit with family and friends. Some might use it to rest.

Some try to make the Lord's Day "the Christian Sabbath Day" and insist that Christian not work on that day. But they ignore other stringent prohibitions of the Mosaic Sabbath law, especially the penalty for violation of the sabbath. No food was to be prepared for eating on the Sabbath day (Ex. 16:22-29). No fuel for fire was to be collected on that day (Num. 15:32-36). The penalty for violating the Sabbath was death (Num. 15:32-36). We are not free to pick and choose the portions of God's law we wish to observe.

Given all the above, there is nothing wrong if you wish to spend the First Day of the week resting (Rom. 14:5-6). We can all profit from a day of rest out of each week. But there is nothing wrong if a brother works or plays on that day, so long as he takes time to worship the Lord.

Sincerely,

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