There’s something hauntingly beautiful about the Sabbath. A day set apart, resting from the grind, worshiping God alongside fellow believers. You’d think this holy pause would be the heartbeat of every Christian’s walk. Yet, for those of us who stand firmly under grace, Sabbath observance isn’t a law to live by anymore. It’s one of those holy hangovers from the Old Covenant, lovingly retired when Christ nailed it all to the cross. And trust me, this isn’t about throwing out tradition or disrespecting God’s Word—it’s about understanding where grace really sets us free.
Why the Sabbath Was Never About Legalism Alone
Before Jesus, the Sabbath had a purpose crystal clear to Israel. It was a sign, a covenant reminder (Exodus 31:13) that God is the ultimate Provider and that His people are to trust and rest in Him weekly. The commandment to keep the seventh day holy wasn’t just some random rule—it was a rhythm etched into the heart of creation itself. Even God rested on the seventh day. But as history marched on, Israel’s Sabbath observance became laden with burdensome rules. Pharisees crafted endless do’s and don’ts about “what you can’t do,” turning rest into a religious trap.
Now, why did Christ come? Not to scrap the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He perfectly obeyed the Sabbath commandments, but more than that, He unveiled the heart beneath the law—grace.
Grace Transforms Law Into Freedom
Here’s a question that trips up many: why not keep the Sabbath under grace, if it’s so good? Because Sabbath keeping as a law points to something temporary—the Old Covenant and man’s need to earn God’s favor. Grace doesn’t demand perfection day by day; it delivers a once-for-all perfection through Jesus.
In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul straight-up tells believers not to let anyone judge them over Sabbath days or new moons or festivals. Why? These were shadows of things to come, but Christ is the substance. Think of shadows at noon—useless and confusing. Grace removed the obligation to keep these shadows because the real thing arrived.
I sometimes wonder if we Christians, eager as we are for traditions, can confuse spiritual liberty with loose living. Freedom in Christ won’t tether you to Sabbath laws, yet it won’t give you a license to ignore God’s presence either. It’s about relationship, not regulation.
Jesus and the Sabbath: Rewriting the Rulebook
Jesus’ entire ministry challenged the rigid interpretations around Sabbath. Healing on the Sabbath, allowing disciples to pick grain—He flipped religious legalism on its head. His teachings were a bold reminder that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Man needs rest, restoration, and time with God. Laws that suffocate rather than restore miss the point.
Take a moment and really think about that. If grace freed us to live by the Spirit, insisting on Sabbath observance can enslave us instead. It’s easy to slip into “I must or I’m less” mindset—total trap! The Spirit’s work is far more dynamic than clocking hours or lighting candles on a specific day.
Does Grace Mean We Shouldn’t Rest?
Not at all. Rest is baked into our spiritual DNA. But grace lets us rest with a different kind of assurance—forgiveness secured and acceptance guaranteed. We aren’t resting to earn God’s favor but because our hearts are filled with peace from Him.
Even the Apostle Paul, though a Pharisee by training, wasn’t calling believers to Sabbath observance in the church age. Instead, he urged us to work in everything we do, doing it unto the Lord with a spirit-led heart (Colossians 3:23). Working and resting can coexist beautifully when we live in the freedom Christ brings.
Why Rightly Dividing the Word Shapes Our View on the Sabbath
Being a grace believer isn’t about selectively ignoring Scripture—it’s about rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). That means understanding the timelines, covenants, and who each instruction applies to.
The Sabbath commandment was given specifically to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant. Trying to shoehorn that into the church age ignores the cultural and covenantal shifts God orchestrated through Jesus’ finished work. We no longer live under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Not keeping the Sabbath isn’t rebellion; it’s obedience to a new covenant where Christ is our rest.
I often dig into resources like this daily devotional site to stay rooted in Scriptural context and remind myself why grace means freedom—and how that freedom honors God perfectly.
Is It Wrong To Keep The Sabbath Today?
There’s a lot of gray here. Some Christians feel called to observe a weekly day of rest, and there’s nothing wrong with that if it builds faith rather than binds it. The problem is when Sabbath keeping becomes a yardstick for holiness.
Grace frees us from trying to earn God’s favor by checking off boxes. It invites us into an ongoing rest where Jesus is our Sabbath. Hebrews 4:9-10 talks about the spiritual rest awaiting God’s people—a rest not limited to a day, but a lifelong reality.
If you find peace in setting a day aside, wonderful. If you don’t, that’s fine too. What matters is the spirit in which you come before God, not the calendar you observe.
When Loving God Means Letting Go of the Sabbath
I admit, walking away from traditional Sabbath observance can feel countercultural. Family, church communities, and even your own heart might push against this freedom. But God’s ways are higher (Isaiah 55:9), and He wants us to embrace liberty in Him.
Grace rewires our hearts to love God not because of rules but because of relationship. There’s no checklist that can contain God’s love or our response to it. So, if you’re wrestling with Sabbath questions, lean into grace first. Let it redefine righteousness in your life.
And here’s a rebel thought: following Jesus might lead you into resting every day in Him instead of just one day of the week.
There’s a remarkable freedom in walking by faith, guided by the Spirit, and trusting that Christ’s work is complete. Sabbath observance served Israel until that work was finished. Now, under grace, our rest is fuller than a mere day can contain.
Final thoughts? Grace flips the script. It turns Sabbath keeping from a legal burden into a joyous liberty. We don’t keep the Sabbath under grace not to disobey but because Jesus already kept it—once and for all. What freedom, what peace! If you want to dive deeper into the life-transforming truths God offers daily, I can’t recommend enough checking out a resource like Scripture’s encouragement for everyday living. Keep seeking, keep resting in grace, and watch your faith grow in ways you never expected.