There is an increasing and noticeable hunger rising in this hour among Christians for knowledge, insight, and wisdom concerning the Jewish Sabbath. I offer this review of the second of four questions I am often asked. They are herewith posted for your review, study, mediation, comments and hopefully, your participation.
2. Do you belief Christians should have a day of rest? Of worship?
Yes, I believe that Christians should keep a certain day for rest and a certain day for worship. Having said that, I do not believe they should be separate days in the sense that we rest one day and worship on another. Nor do I believe that the day of rest and worship has been changed from the age old edict of the Almighty of the seventh day being His Sabbath.
My belief is that there is informal rest and worship each of the six days of the week and then a formal day of worship and rest on the seventh. By informal I mean, it is not a congregational setting for worship and rest, but rather the daily living of the meaning of Hebrews 4:3 which says, “for we which have believed do enter into that rest…” This is the rest that the first covenant Hebrews missed because of a lack of faith during their daily walks. They were always promised rest However, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). They did not enter into the provided rest on either of the sixth nor seventh days.
The six days of labor in the natural was intended to be mixed with faith in and of what they heard from God so as to fortify their life and relationship with Him. Then the seventh day was the day of total rest and recuperation of relational values with God and the presentation of worship towards His eternal name. First Corinthians 10: 1-33 gives outline to the mistakes of the first Exodus crowd in that they heard, were baptized, all ate the same spiritual meat, drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ, (5) “But with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (6) Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. (11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
The example we are now required to exemplify is a spiritual lifestyle contrary to the carnal one outlined in this tenth chapter of First Corinthians. They were baptized, we have been baptized; they all ate the same spiritual meat, we also have eaten spiritual meat; they drank the same spiritual drink, so also have we New Testament believers taken of the same spiritual drink; and we all have partaken of Christ, the solid Rock of our salvation. Yet, they never entered into that rest because of sin and voluntary ignorance of the presented signs and facts. Although they did have an informal time of rest and worship which was each of the six days of a week, their Sabbath time was polluted because of the above and other facts outlined in their carnal example of life without spiritual rest.
In their book The Sabbath, Entering God’s Rest, Barry and Steffi Rubin teach on page 5 that, “This special day was a permanent sign signifying that God “set apart,” that is, made holy, the nation of Israel. It reminded the nation of her unique calling and responsibility. That is why it was to be taken so seriously. “Everyone who treats it (the Sabbath) as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people. In six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for Adonai. Whoever does any work on the Shabbat must be put to death (Exodus 31: 14b-15, Complete Jewish Bible).
This ultimate penalty assured that God’s people would obey this commandment. They would receive the blessing of rest, remember the Creation, and recall the covenant God had made with them. The words of Isaiah affirm this truth: “Happy is the person who does this, anyone who grasps it firmly, who keeps Shabbat and does not profane it, and keeps himself from doing any evil” (Isaiah 56:2). God desired to bless his people through this holy day. But it was not given just to the Jewish people, it was given, too, to reveal insight into eternal truths to all humanity: “And the foreigners who join themselves to Adonai to serve him, to love the name of Adonai, and to be his workers, all who keep Shabbat and do not profane it…I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer (Isaiah 56:6-7a, Complete Jewish Bible).
In fact, Isaiah also shares that in the days of the new heavens and the new earth, “…every week on Shabbat, everyone living will come to worship in my presence, says Adonai” (Isaiah 66:23 Complete Jewish Bible); a Sabbath rest will be the reward for all who enter eternity with God. Thus, by observing Sabbath now, we prepare for eternity. The Sabbath is for all mankind -- given before the Ten Commandments were issued (study the giving of manna in Genesis) and guarded by Israel for centuries, and guaranteed in eternity to all who trust the Lord.”
Early Christians often worshipped on the Sabbath. Acts 13:14,44; 16:13; 17:2-3; 18: 4:11.” It is noted that the early Christians did break bread and fellowship together on days other than the Sabbath. This, however, does not replace the requirements of the Lord’s Sabbath. Paul, as well as all the initial Hebrew apostles were Torah observant thereby did in fact attend Synagogue services on Sabbath as was their custom. By doing so, they would have in no way implied that there was a specific day of worship for non-Hebrew believers and then another day for the Hebrews to worship in their formal way. Early Christians did meet on the Sabbath day out of religious commandment but were never meant to become nor did they intend to become “Jewish.” Early Gentile Christians learned the requirements of Torah and still maintained their national integrity. They observed Sabbath out of their submission and obedience to learn about the God of Israel who had saved them.
Over the years, man has allowed Sabbath to be changed to “the first day of the week” which violates Malachi 3:6. “For I am the Lord, I change not…” This change in part due to Gentile ignorance of the Hebrew day which begins at sundown one day and ends at sundown on the following day. “And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5.) This part is another entire essay that time and space do not allow here, but it is sufficient to say that times and days are changed by man and not God. These changes are often made by man to accommodate his carnality and attitude to be in a position of power over others, as was Constantine when he, by governmental ruling, in fact changed to Sabbath to Sunday in 321 A.D. so as to incorporate worship to his sun god as well as to Jehovah.
The point of this answer to outlay the answer as to a day of rest and worship for Christians. It is my conclusion that although the majority of Christianity today worship on Sunday, which may satisfy a personal goal to draw close to the Lord, it is not the original nor perfected day God ordains as His set aside day. He does honor the intent of our heart in doing so but I believe it is still at best, an informal worship. To enter into the formality of worship and fellowship God desires, one must find that perfect rest in the true Sabbath.