Question 1

Why did God institute the Sabbath?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 2:2-3On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.On each day of creation, God declared that what he had accomplished was good. When he blessed the seventh day of rest, he was also calling that decision good and right. He declared the seventh holy and thus set it apart from the other six days—a distinct day for a distinct purpose: rest.Exodus 20:11“For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”God instituted a weekly Sabbath day of rest because it honors his creative work and affirms the blessing he gave after he finished his work of creation.Exodus 23:12“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.”The weekly Sabbath rest allowed an opportunity for both people and animals to rest from their work and to be refreshed. Not only did it bring relief, it provided a specific time set aside for reflection.Exodus 31:13“Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.’”Leviticus 23:3“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.”Deuteronomy 5:14“The seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.”Isaiah 58:13-14“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.”The weekly Sabbath gave Israel a regular opportunity to remember their covenant with God and to worship him. This was to be done as individuals, as well as in holy assembly with others.

Question 2

What does it mean to rest?

Accepted Answer

Mark 2:27Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”Resting means limiting actions to those that genuinely express appreciation for God and care for others. It means answering the personal question: What important things should I be doing that the demands of daily work and life make it difficult to do?Matthew 12:12“Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”Resting means doing good for others. By the time Jesus came, Israel had become so focused on the Sabbath that it eclipsed other significant commands and was used as a tool to control others. The Sabbath was not meant to keep people from doing good. Jesus reminded people that the Sabbath wasn’t an end in itself; it was supposed to benefit those who kept it.Exodus 20:8-10“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.”Rest means a break from the ordinary, and giving others we influence the same break. Keeping it holy involves doing those things that focus on God rather than the needs that drive the daily activities of the week. Rest is more than not working; it is more than napping or sitting in a stupor (the hours of sleep each day should address that need for rest). It is an extended time of reflection on our relationship with God and all that he has done on our behalf.Exodus 23:12“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.”The primary principle of the Sabbath is to take time away from the pressures of our everyday routines so that we can more intently focus on God in worship and to rest and renew our spirit. This should also help us to treat others under our influence with kindness and justice.

Question 3

Am I required to keep the Sabbath today?

Accepted Answer

Galatians 4:10-11You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.It’s tempting to think that Sabbath keeping is a clear and simple exercise in obedience that will please God even if we find it inconvenient and irritating. But since Jesus said the Sabbath was for us, we ought to set aside the requirement question and answer the question of how keeping the Sabbath might become good and beneficial for us? If we fill our lives with work and even entertainment that is ultimately destructive of our souls, a superficial keeping of the Sabbath will do us no good.Colossians 2:16So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.We cannot become righteous or gain God’s approval by observing the Sabbath or celebrating certain holy days. Jesus provides true spiritual rest for our souls through faith in him. Jesus gave new meaning to the Sabbath by turning our focus toward what we can do on the Sabbath rather than on what we cannot do.John 20:19That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.John 20:26Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.Acts 20:7On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper.1 Corinthians 16:2On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.Revelation 1:10It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit.Since the time of the early Christians, the first day of the week has been observed as the Lord’s Day. It gradually replaced the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) as the special day set apart for worship.Matthew 5:17-18“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”Romans 14:5In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.There doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the Old Testament command to observe the Sabbath was revoked in New Testament times. However, the New Testament does seem to have less forceful language about it. Most churches today believe that we need a weekly day of rest and an opportunity to set aside regular time to worship God as a community. But they also recognize there are differing convictions about when and how this should be done.

Question 4

What is the difference between the Sabbath and Sunday?

Accepted Answer

Acts 2:42-47All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.We often forget that for several decades after Jesus’ resurrection, the majority of his followers were devout Jews. They saw Jesus as the fulfillment of all God had promised in the Old Testament, and they continued to practice Judaism the way Jesus had, meeting in the synagogue and Temple and keeping the Sabbath, in addition to meeting in homes and learning from the apostles.Acts 13:14-15, 42-49Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” . . . As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.From the earliest days of his missionary journeys, Paul always began work in a new place by joining Sabbath worship at the local synagogue or some other gathering of Jewish worshipers. He preached Christ from the Old Testament and shared the gospel both to Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who were in the synagogue.Acts 16:12-15From there we [Luke, Paul, and companions] reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.It appears that Philippi had a very small population of Jews (it required 10 Jewish men to establish a synagogue in a city), but Jews and God-fearers met by the river there on the Sabbath in hopes of eventually establishing a synagogue. Paul began his ministry in Philippi with this group.Acts 17:1-4Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.Throughout the book of Acts we see the gradual shift from a Jewish-centered Sabbath to a Jesus-centered Sunday. By his second missionary journey, Paul had established the pattern of beginning his work at the local synagogue and then expanding to the wider, largely Gentile, community. For much of this time, Jesus’ followers actually kept both days, preserving the day of rest as well as making the first day of the week a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection because he rose on Sunday morning.

Question 5

What are the benefits of taking Sabbath time?

Accepted Answer

Mark 6:30-31The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.There is great value to rest, especially after hard work. Rest is not only for the recovery of energy, but also for the savoring of the work you have completed. Even Jesus, whose life and ministry on earth was limited, took the time to rest. Though forces and demands will conspire against your rest, you must continually make it your goal to pursue a holy pace.Isaiah 58:13“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.”Although, as Jesus clearly said, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, his point did not establish the Sabbath as an official “me day.” We benefit from Sabbath rest when our change of pace is God-centered.Mark 2:27Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”God gave Sabbath rest to his people for his honor as well as for their welfare and delight. Allow yourself the joy and luxury of spending one day a week restoring your body and soul.Exodus 31:12-17The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses: “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. . . .This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”It’s important to remember that the Sabbath principle was given at the same time as the building of the Tabernacle. In the midst of the holy urgency to construct the place of worship, the people were commanded to remember above all else the place of the Sabbath in the pace of their lives. From the outset, God warned against the fallacy that religious effort should replace obedience to him.