New Testament Believer and the Sabbath
Exodus 20:8-11
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10But the seventh day is the sabbath of Yehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11For in six days Yehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The Jews were given the commandment to observe the Sabbath, but what about New Testament Believers? Non-Jewish born believers?
One of the verses, people like to use to support not observing a Sabbath is Romans 14:5:
5One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Many Christians will say based on Romans 14:5, they can keep the Sabbath on any day they choose. However Romans 14:5 does not state “any” day. As a matter of fact, it is not even differentiating between Saturday or Sunday. It is comparing someone who sets aside one day to an individual that considers all days equally important. This is not comparing Saturday and Sunday worship. Refer to Romans 14:5 Esteem One Day Above Another for additional discussion on Saturday verses Sunday worship.
Yeshua set an example for us. Many Christians will tell you that they want to be more Christ like. We have already seen that Yeshua observed the Sabbath (see Yeshua and the Sabbath). We also know that the Apostles kept the Sabbath as well (see The Apostles and the Sabbath).
We are told in Hebrews 4:9:
9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Rest is the Greek word sabbatismos {sab-bat-is-mos’}(G4520). It means keeping a Sabbath. Hebrews 4:9 should have been translated:
9There remaineth therefore a keeping a Sabbath to the people of God.
As New Testament Believers, we should follow the example of Yeshua and observe the Sabbath the same way, as it was commanded by God.
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