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This debate-page is a debate between two different schools of thought in Christianity. Therefore for this debate-page only,      <     means against Christians observing the Sabbath, and      >>    means pro Christians observing the Sabbath?

< AGAINST SABBATH-KEEPING

< STRONG No. It was only a sign between Israel and God. 

Exodus 31:13,16,17 - The Sabbath was a sign between God and Israel like circumcision was (Gen. 17; Rom. 4:11). How could it have been a sign between God and Israel if He had given the same law to other nations too? Would a ring be a sign of a man's special relationship with his wife, if he gave similar rings to many other women?

Today people need not keep the commands revealed through Moses, including the Ten Commands and the Sabbath, for the same reason we do not need to build arks like Noah or sacrifice sons like Abraham. God did not address these commands to us.

- GospelWay http://gospelway.com/bible/old_law_today_1.php

Here are the supporting passages: 

Exo 31:13  to tell the people of Israel, "Keep the Sabbath, my day of rest, because it is a sign between you and me for all time to come, to show that I, the LORD, have made you my own people. 

Deu 5:15  Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that I, the LORD your God, rescued you by my great power and strength. That is why I command you to observe the Sabbath. 

>> STRONG But Jesus tells us to follow the Ten commandments, which were revealed to us through Moses.

The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God and are a summary of His moral law. If we obey Jesus' command to love others and to love Him, then we will not violate the Ten commandment laws such as stealing, killing, and lying. We are to follow God's moral law for us. Some laws have passed away, yet God's moral law remains forever. It is wrong to say that the entire law doesn't need to be kept.

Click here for more.

 >> STRONG Some commands may be temporary like building an ark or sacrificing a son, however, that doesn't mean it makes other moral laws outdated. 

Please look at this argument: "Ceremonial laws have passed away, civil laws have changed, and moral laws will remain forever"  on this page. 

< STRONG No. The Sabbath is a ceremonial law and is no longer required.

When Jesus talked about the Sabbath, he clearly grouped it with the ceremonial laws, not with the moral law. When it came to matters of morality, Jesus had a very strict standard, stricter than the Pharisees. When it came to ceremonial laws, however, he was more lenient than the Pharisees.

With the Sabbath, Jesus was more lenient. On several occasions, he noted that the Pharisees were too strict about the Sabbath. He is never recorded as giving any restrictions about the Sabbath. He never told anyone to avoid anything on that day. This in itself suggests that Jesus saw the Sabbath as a ceremonial law.

But even more clearly, Jesus compared the Sabbath to ceremonial laws. When his disciples were criticized for picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus used the example of David eating the tabernacle showbread (Matt. 12:1-4). He said, if David could eat the showbread, my disciples can pick enough grain to eat. Notice that the argument doesn't work if the Sabbath is more important than showbread.

Jesus also compared the Sabbath to the sacrificial laws (Matt. 12:5). The priests were allowed to work on the Sabbath because the requirement to sacrifice animals was more important than the requirement to rest on the Sabbath. The ritual law was more important than the Sabbath law. This again shows that there is nothing intrinsically wrong about working on the Sabbath. It was permitted for priests. It is not a universal law required for all peoples at all times. Rather, the Sabbath was a ritual law, specifying when certain kinds of work could or could not be done.

Jesus also compared the Sabbath to circumcision (John 7:22). Again, ritual work was allowed (even required) on the Sabbath, because the ritual law was more important than the requirement to rest on the seventh day. The ritual law was more important than the Sabbath. Again, Jesus is putting the Sabbath into the company of ritual laws.

Jesus never grouped the Sabbath with moral laws, or any other of the Ten Commandments. He always compared it to ceremonial laws. Jesus treated the Sabbath as a "lesser" law. The requirement to work on certain days and avoid work on other days was a ritual law...Jesus clearly ranked the showbread as more important than the Sabbath, and the temple sacrifices as more important than the Sabbath, and circumcision as more important than the Sabbath, it should be no surprise that the Sabbath command expired at the same time as those other commands.

No doubt some of the first Christians were surprised that any of God's laws could become obsolete when Jesus died. This had to be explained, as we see in the book of Hebrews. But once they realized that some of God's laws were indeed superseded, that they had been given for a temporary reason, that their purpose had now been fulfilled by Jesus Christ, then they could also understand that God no longer required ritual, ceremonial laws.

Jews in the first century understood that God did not require gentiles to keep the Sabbath... When the barriers between Jews and gentiles were eliminated through Jesus' death (Eph. 2:13-16), the Sabbath was one of the barrier ordinances eliminated. It was a ritual law, not a timeless and eternal moral law.

- http://www.gci.org/law/sabbath/moral [site is down]

>> STRONG Actually, the reason why the Sabbath law was "violated" was because none of the works Jesus did were ordinary works.  

God required any ordinary work, like buying and selling, building tents, farming, manufacturing, traveling, etc, not to be done on the holy day of Sabbath! However, the Pharisees took it a step further, adding to God's laws when God said not to. The Pharisees said it was unlawful to even pick grain to satisfy a person's immediate hunger! That even defeats the point of the Sabbath, which is to relax from everyday labor and to worship God! It was a day for refreshing, not to make it harder on man. 

David wasn't allowed to eat the showbread on an ordinary day, but God allowed it because he was oppressed, being hunted down, and was hungry. If David wasn't oppressed nor hungry, then eating the showbread would have been clearly disrespectful to God. Jesus talked about this example to the priests to show that their beloved David was granted mercy during the time of trouble. 

In addition, the priests were allowed to work on the Sabbath (thus "profane" it) because God gave them explicit rights to, and because they were performing God's duties. And because of this, Jesus called them guiltless (Mat 12:5). If the priests did regular ordinary work, then they would be guilty. 

Finally, circumcision was a religious activity, not an ordinary activity, thus not prohibited. 

Again, any religious or good work (Mat 12:12) was allowed to be performed on the Sabbath, especially eating when you're hungry, and helping sheep that has fallen to a ditch, or helping someone in need that would greatly relieve suffering. But buying and selling, traveling, farming, and doing any ordinary work is clearly not something that helps relief people of suffering. Jesus healed the man's hand on the Sabbath because it was good for the man, and performing a miracle is no ordinary work.   

>> Jesus never grouped the Sabbath to the ceremonial or the ritual. 

He used those examples to demonstrate that it isn't wrong to do religious work or good on the Sabbath.   

>> But the 10 Commandments IS part of the moral law!

It contains the same laws that God has gotten mad at His people time after time. It's the laws that said what to do and not to do to avoid sin, such as murder, false witnessing, and theft. 

>> Jesus never said to not follow the Sabbath.

He Himself went to the Synagugues to teach about God (a holy work that God loved). Did He work as a carpenter during those times? No. Think about it... would it be considered a sin to follow the Sabbath, when neither the Tanakh (OT) nor the NT said it was evil? 

>> It wasn't merely a ceremonial law. 

For one, violators of the Sabbath in Israel would receive death (like stoning), just like the consequences of violating the other moral commandments, like murder, idol worship, cursing parents, etc. (except theft didn't push for the death penalty). 

Please see the argument "Yes. God made it a special day of rest" below for why it's not merely a ceremonial law.  

< The breaking of other ceremonial laws also received the death penalty.

Take Nadab and Abihu for example. They offered an unauthorized sacrifice and were immediately consumed by fire. Other ceremonial laws also received the dealth penalty [like which?], so that argument doesn't make the sabbath fit under a moral law.  

Here's the Nadab and Abihu verses:  

Lev 10:1  Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 

Lev 10:2  And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 

 >> The sabbath is part of the 10 commandments AND got the death penalty if not obeyed; but the sacrifice done by Nadab and Abihu is not part of the 10 commandments AND wasn't even explicitly written as law as to how they had to sacrifice. 

Again, the sabbath law was part of the 10 commandments and explicitly a law. However, the Nadab and Abihu mistake is neither. Hence, it can't be considered a moral law to be followed by all people, like the sabbath. 

>> They performed the sacrifice without respect, and God demanded respect when it came to the priests that served him.

Their lack of respect is found here: 

Lev 10:3  Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD was speaking about when he said, 'All who serve me must respect my holiness; I will reveal my glory to my people.' " But Aaron remained silent.  (GNB)

However,  the lack of respect is not as evident in the ESV version. 

>> PRO SABBATH-KEEPING 

>> STRONG Yes. Because it's part of the 10 Commandments and was considered evil not to honor the Sabbath. 

The 10 Commandments contains all other commandments that we all agree with, except the Sabbath. But the Sabbath is still part of the 10 Commandments, giving it some special moral position over any other commandment in the Law  (Torah). In addition, Jesus recited the 10 Commandments in the NT to obey.

In addition, when we repent of our sins, we repent of what evil we have done. According to Nehemiah, he called profaning the Sabbath as evil! Please see the following verses:  

Neh 13:17  Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 
Neh 13:18  Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath." 

In the last verse, it shows that God will show His wrath for profaning the Sabbath... anything that brings anger to God is wrong.  Was this only so for Israel? Was profaning the Sabbath evil and wrong only to Israel? Probably not. For what is evil is still evil regardless of the nation... that's why the rest of the 10 Commandments are so applicable to today, because they contain the common laws that all nations should follow. Finally, Nehemiah even said that the holy Sabbath was something that God revealed to Israel... He didn't create the Sabbath as a commandment for only Israel to follow. In other words, God revealed a holy thing that was already in place. Here is the verse regarding this:    

Neh 9:14  and you made known to them [Israel] your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant.  

Finally, Nehemiah was even ready to use force if people kept trying to buy and sell on the Sabbath day, as seen in the following verse: 

Neh 13:21  But I warned them and said to them, "Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.  

So once again, it was part of the 10 Commandments, and considered evil in Nehemiah's sight to profane the Sabbath.   

< But Jesus worked on the Sabbath and said He was Lord over the Sabbath 

 Thus we don't have to obey the Sabbath. 

>> Jesus didn't really "work" on the Sabbath, like a typical day of work... instead He taught that doing a good or important deed isn't wrong. (Biblical)

Regarding John 5:16, Jesus wasn't "working" like any other ordinary day of work. He performed a miracle. This is not something that was common. Thus, His action was taken out of context.

John 5:15: The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 

Also, in Matthew, Jesus says this in defense of what He did:

Matt 12:11: He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
Matt 12:12: Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 

< What about Colossians 2:16?

 Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy-day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days."

>> This is probably taken out of context.

[need reasons]

>> Yes. Christians already worship and fellowship with fellow Christians on a weekly basis. 

Christians already follow part of the sabbath law, except that typically they don't rest on it, and also it shifted from Saturday to Sunday. Also with rest, it gives Christians opportunity to have a clear mind to think about God and read the Bible. (from personal experience, this is true)

< It doesn't matter what day it's on, so long it's one day of the week, it's still the sabbath.  

Christians can worship on Saturday, or Sunday, or even Wednesday... it doesn't matter, so long they meet once a week.  

>> STRONG Yes, but not just Christians. Most (if not all) people of the industrial world (including atheists and agnostics) will be very angry if their Saturday and Sunday rest days were taken away from them.

The fact is, we already enjoy the blessing of rest days with Saturday and Sunday off from work and school. Imagine if our nations and jobs forced us to work all days of the week? We would immediately get burnt out. The fact that we already have rest from work and school proves the importance and relevance of the Sabbath day. It is even more so relevant today because work-aholism (addiction to work) has become a big problem for too many Americans today, due to the unceasing amount of work that has to be done at the company, and the unyielding extreme competition that produces all the work.   

Please see the argument entitled "Yes. God made it a special day of rest" in this page for a biblical basis for rest on the Sabbath. 

>> Yes. God made it a special day of rest.

For the Bible says: 

Gen 2:3  He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working. (GNB)

And it says that he got refreshed on it.

Ex 31:17  ... in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"
Exo 31:13  to tell the people of Israel, "Keep the Sabbath, my day of rest, because it is a sign between you and me for all time to come, to show that I, the LORD, have made you my own people. 

< It doesn't say when He began to require men to keep it, nor who was required to keep it.

Genesis 2:3 says only that God Himself rested on the seventh day, then it says that is why He blessed and sanctified it. But it does not tell when He began to require men to keep it, nor who was required to keep it. Remember this was written by Moses many years after Israel left Egypt and had been given the Sabbath. He mentions the Sabbath in connection with Creation so men would see the purpose of it, not necessarily to explain when people began to keep it. Similar language is found in Gen. 3:20 and Matt. 10:4.

Gospelway -   http://gospelway.com/bible/old_law_today_1.php

>> STRONG True, Genesis doesn't say to follow it, however, we can learn something about what the sabbath does for people, just like any principle from the Bible. 

Please look at this verse: 

Ex 23:12 "Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

Interestingly enough, the purpose of the sabbath law for Israel is to give them rest.

 

So if it allowed everyone in Israel, including the servants, animals, and foreigners, and even God himself (Ex 31:17) to acquire rest and be refreshed, then we can do the same thing and achieve the same benefit. 

 

In fact, we already see the benefits of resting on the weekend. 

< However, notice in the same verses that the Sabbath was a sign between God and Israel, not God and everyone on earth!

For it says:

Ex 31:16  Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.  

Ex 31:17  It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'" 

>> STRONG True, but this doesn't nullify the fact that the Sabbath gives people rest, being good for them. 

Even if it were a sign for Israel, the previous argument shows how Exodus reveals the benefits of the Sabbath for the people of Israel... being something we can learn from for our nation and ourselves.