Many people believe that “God instituted the Sabbath in Eden” because of the verse in Exodus 20:11 that links the Sabbath with the creation of the world. There is no mention of the Sabbath in the Bible before the Exodus from Egypt, even though God’s rest on the seventh day was a foreshadowing of a future Sabbath law. Sabbath-keeping is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible between Adam and Moses.
Bible verses like “The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant,” make it abundantly apparent that keeping the Sabbath was a special sign between God and Israel. For the Lord God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh day he rested from all his work and blessed his creation by declaring a Sabbath.
Moses gives the Ten Commandments another go in Deuteronomy 5. After enforcing Sabbath observance in verses 12-14, Moses explains why Israel should keep the day holy: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God took you out of there with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, keep the Sabbath holy, as the Lord your God has instructed.
God’s original intention for the Sabbath was not for Israel to reflect on the beginning of time, but on their liberation from Egyptian slavery and the Lord’s provision of rest. Don’t forget the Sabbath rules: A person subject to that Sabbath commandment was forbidden from leaving his home, from starting a fire, and from causing anyone else to labor on the day of rest. In accordance with the Sabbath law, anyone caught working on the day of rest would be executed.
A close reading of the New Testament reveals four basic truths: First, whenever the day is mentioned in conjunction with Christ’s resurrection appearance, it is always Sunday. From Acts to Revelation, the only times the Sabbath is addressed, it is in the context of evangelism among Jews, and it is almost always taking place in a synagogue. Paul claimed, “I took on the appearance of a Jew in order to win Jews.” It was not for the purpose of encouraging fellow believers that Paul visited the synagogue, but rather to preach the gospel to the unsaved. 3) The Sabbath is never addressed again after Paul says, “From now on I will journey to the Gentiles.” Moreover, (4) the rest of the New Testament seems to imply the opposite of what the Sabbath advocates claim (including the one exception to point 3, above, found in Colossians 2:16).
Focusing on point 4 above, we see that the New Testament Christian is under no need to observe the Sabbath and that the concept of a Sunday “Christian Sabbath” is also not supported by Scripture. After Paul’s attention shifted to the Gentiles, the Sabbath is only mentioned once: “Therefore do not let anybody judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day,” as we’ve already covered. These represent only a type of things to come; in Christ, however, we see the actual thing. Christ “canceled the written system, with its regulations,” including the Jewish Sabbath, when He died on the cross.
This theme appears several times in the New Testament: “One guy considers one day more precious than another; another man considers every day same.” They should all be confident in their own convictions. To honor the Lord on any given day requires making that day unique. But now that you know God (or, more accurately, are known by God), why are you returning to those feeble and dismal ideals? Would you like to be subject to them once more? You’re celebrating holidays, seasons, and years that aren’t like the rest of the world.
But there are many who argue that the Sabbath was “changed” from Saturday to Sunday according to a decree issued by Constantine in 321 AD. When did the first Christians get together to pray and sing songs? The Bible makes no reference to Christians getting together on the Sabbath (Saturday) for worship or fellowship. Nonetheless, there are unmistakable references to Monday throughout the Bible. For instance, on “the first day of the week we came together to break bread,” as recorded in Acts 20:7. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul instructs the churchgoers in Corinth to “put aside a quantity of money each week in accordance with his income.” Considering that Paul labels this contribution as a “service” in 2 Corinthians 9:12, it was likely connected to the Christian community’s weekly Sunday service. Christians have traditionally met on Sundays (rather than Saturdays) since at least the first century.
The church did not receive the Sabbath from Israel; Israel did. The Sabbath has never been moved from Saturday to Sunday. However, the Sabbath is a portion of the Old Testament Law, and Christians are free from the shackles of the Law. Christians are under no need to observe the Sabbath, whether it falls on Saturday or Sunday. The New Creation, with Christ as its resurrected Head, is commemorated each week on the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10; 2 Corinthians 5:1). Instead of resting on the Sabbath as commanded by Moses, Christians are free to serve others in the name of Christ because of his resurrection. As the Apostle Paul put it, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.” This means that Christians have the freedom to make their own decisions about whether or not to keep a Sabbath rest. “Everyone needs to be absolutely certain in his own mind.” We are not exempt from God’s worship on the other six days of the week.