Grace be unto you all and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. We deem it necessary to write to you all at this time concerning the 4th commandment under the Law of Moses i.e. keeping the Sabbath. Some have argued that it is lawful for Christians to keep the Sabbath as it was originally commanded by God under the dispensation of the Law. They claim that those that do not keep this commandment are in disobedience and will eventually be judged by God. Some might even refuse to fellowship with others that do not keep this commandment. But some others say it is not needful that Christians observe the Sabbath days. They teach that since the Law of Moses was abolished when the new covenant was written, Christians are now under no obligation to keep the Sabbath. Therefore, if some say it is lawful to keep the Sabbath and others say it is not needful, what then is the truth? By the word of this epistle, we desire to make the truth known to all men concerning these things. And this we do by the Word of God, for as it written: Thy Word is Truth.

It is written in Ex 20:8-11: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD 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: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. This command was given to Israel by God at Sinai when the Law was given to Moses, after they had departed from Egypt some fifty days before. In this scripture, God commanded Israel to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. But to which day does God refer as Sabbath? Some say because God mentioned in verse 11 above that He worked for six days and rested on the 7th day that this Sabbath must refer to God’s Sabbath when He rested from His works as written in Gen 2:2-3. But according to the Scriptures, this Sabbath does not, and could not refer to Gen 2:2-3 which concerns the rest of God after His work. In no place in Scripture is there a command for this particular Sabbath of God to be remembered any more than various other acts of God. Israel was first hinted of the Sabbath commandment in Ex 16:22-26 and not in Gen 2:2-3. God did not command in Gen 2:2-3 that His 7th day of rest should be commemorated. The first mention of the Sabbath to Israel was in Ex 16:22-26, thus proving that the Sabbath commandment was a recent one and was not given to Israel before the Law of Moses. We also have no record that Abraham, Noah, and the righteous before Moses kept a Sabbath commandment, for it was not yet given at the time. Therefore the “remember” of Ex 20:8 quoted above has to do with remembering their own Sabbath when Israel rested from slavery, and not the commemorating of God’s Sabbath when He rested on the 7th day from His labors as in Gen 2:2-3. This is fully proven and very clearly written in Deut 5:15 saying: “And remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out…therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” This proves conclusively that the Sabbath to which God was referring has to do with Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

Ex 20:11 quoted above suggests that: God Himself worked in the recreation of the earth from chaos to a second habitable state the same length and number of days that He now commanded Israel to work (Ex 20:8-11, Gen 1:3-31); God rested the same length and number of days that Israel was told to rest (Ex 20:8-11, Gen 2:2-3); the Lord made (did not originally create) the heavens and the earth in 6 literal 24-hour days (Ex 20:8-11, Gen 1:3-31); as God sanctified or hallowed a day of rest for Himself, so Israel was to sanctify (set apart) a day of rest for themselves (Ex 20:11, Gen 2:2-3; Deut 5:12). Even still, God wisely did not command the Levites to rest on the Sabbath, for they were commanded to work on the Sabbath, butchering and offering sacrifices (Num 28:9-10; 1 Chro 9:32). Necessary work was not forbidden (Lev 12:3, John 7:22-23). The kind of work specified as not to be done on the Sabbath was servile, i.e. that which required the use of any animals or slaves, and even that which was unnecessary by the masters (Lev 23:7-8, 21, 25, 35). The Sabbath allowed for emergencies, and all necessary care of stock as mentioned in Matt 12:3-8, 12; Mark 2:27-28; 3:4; and Luke 13:15; 14:5. Every occupation was to observe rest that came under the heading of labor, business, and industrial employment (Ex 16:23; 34:21; 35:3; Num 15:32; Neh 13:15; Jer 17:21). In religion, certain work was necessary and lawful to be done on the Sabbath.

Four times in the Scriptures, the Sabbath is spoken of a sign between God and Israel (Ex 31:13, 17, Ezek 20:12, 20). The weekly Sabbath of Israel was not only a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, but also a witness to all other nations that Israel was a special people set apart from others to receive the revelation of God, and to bring the Messiah into the world (Ex 31:13). The word sanctify in this verse, meaning set apart, indicates that Israel was set apart from all other peoples to remain separate from them and perform the will of God in a particular calling. From the cited scriptures and many others, we clearly understand that the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between God and Israel.

Not once in Scripture are Gentiles and the New Testament church commanded to keep any particular day as a sabbath , or respect one day as being holy any more than another (Rom 14:5-6; Gal 4:9-11). The program of the New Testament for all men (Jews and Gentiles) is to consider every day holy and realize that whatever is sin must not e committed on any day, Saturday, Sunday, or any other day. It is not the day that makes an act sinful; it is the act itself regardless of the day it is committed on. Transgression of the law is sin and that regardless of the day the transgression takes place (1 John 3:4). Because God had said in Ex 31:17 that the Sabbath is a sign between Him and Israel forever, some argue that this is sufficient proof that the Sabbath was to be eternal and therefore observed by Christians under the New Testament. But it must be kept in mind that similar eternal terms are used of sacrifices and many other things in the Law of Moses. If we can prove that the Sabbath of Israel, by being eternal, are for us today, we can likewise prove the offerings, sacrifices and various rituals under the same Law of Moses are for us today also, for all are referred to with eternal terms under the Law.

What then does the Sabbath represent? The Sabbath was a type of rest in Christ and a mere shadow of things to come. This is clearly written in Matt 11:28-30, Col 2:14-17. The type was in force until Christ came as the reality of what it typified. Therefore, all obligation to observe a set day as a shadow of something to come is ended (Gal 3:19-25; 4:21-31; Heb 7:11-10:18). This is the core reason why this commandment was left out in the New Testament. This is the only commandment of the 10 commandments under the Law of Moses that was left out in the New Testament. It is because it is no longer needful. There are tons of other reasons why this commandment was left out. We have written some below for your edification:

• Neither God nor Christ made it a part of the new covenant. For if they had, it would have been written somewhere in the New Testament. Of all the words of Jesus on earth, only 4 references are made of Sabbath (Matt 12:8; 24:20; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 6:5). He merely taught that it was lawful to do good on this day and that no day is lord of man. He did not once command any particular observance of any definite day.li>

• The old Jewish Sabbath was part of the contract between God and Israel and a token and sign of that covenant (Ex 20:8-11; 31:13-18; Ezek 20:12-20). The contract was not made with men before Moses (Deut 5:2-3), or with Gentiles and the church (Rom 2:14; Deut 4:7-10). The Sabbath was not for them.

• The 4th commandment of the Sabbath was the only one of the ten that was a ceremonial, not a moral law. Its sole purpose was to commemorate the deliverance from Egyptian bondage of slavery when Israel had no rest (Deut 5:15). It was only a type of future and eternal rest (Col 2:14-17; Heb 4:1-11; 10:1). It was natural for it to be out of the new contract when the reality of rest came of which it was a shadow (Matt 11:28-29; Col 2:14-17)

• God foretold and promised He would do away with the old Jewish Sabbath (Hosea 2:11; Isa 1:10-15). The prophets predicted that God will abolish the old and make a new covenant (Isa 42:6; 49:8; 59:21; Jer 31:31-40; 32:37-44; Ezek 36:24-38). That this referred to the New Testament is clear in Rom 11:25-29; Heb 8:8-12; 10:16-18; Matt 26:28

• It is the only commandment that could be and has been broken without breaking a moral law. Israel marched on that day (Num 33:3; Lev 23:5-11; Josh 6:12-16); set up the tabernacle (Ex 40:1, 17, Lev 23:5-11); searched Canaan (Num 13:25); and made war (1 Ki 20:29; 2 Ki 3:9; Josh 6:12-16). David and others broke it and were blameless (Matt 12:2-5)

• The New Testament permits Christians to keep any day as the Sabbath, it being one of the things not covered by commandment in the New covenant (Rom 14:1-13; Gal 4:9-11; Col 2:14-17). The day early Christians observed, not by commandment but by choice, was the first day, Sunday (John 20:1, 19; 20:7; 1 Corinth 16:2)

From all these things as written and as we have taught them according to the truth that has been laid down by the Holy Ghost, all men have liberty to worship Christ on any day. But if there be some of you that still keep the old Sabbath because of what you have been taught, we beseech you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ not to condemn those that do not these things as you do, for they also are under the liberty of Christ. Do not foster division in the body of Christ because of the burden which you have laid upon yourself, which some others have refused to carry as you seek to lay it on them. If you do this, seeking to bring division among saints, the LORD IS THE JUDGE.

It is not the purpose of this epistle to do away with a day of rest and worship, but to warn against unbiblical claims, and show that the observance of days, times, and seasons in religion do not merit special consideration from God. As a matter of practice, Sunday has been observed as the day of rest and worship for Christians from the very beginning. But as a matter of biblical law, there is no definite obligation laid down for Christians on this point. For as it is written: I will bless the Lord at all times! His praise shall continually be in my mouth! Peace be to you all. Maranatha.