"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11
The fourth commandment regarding the Sabbath is likely the most controversial of all of the Ten Commandments. It should not be. The most debated controversy is over whether or not Christians need to keep this commandment. It is one the Ten Commandments, friends! Why on earth should it be obsolete?
Let me explain why some Christians believe in the obsolescence of the fourth commandment. It stems from believing that the Sabbath day was exclusively for Old Testament (OT) Israel, and since we are “not under the Law,” the fourth commandment is no longer applicable. (Which of the other commandments are we free to ignore?)
Are there aspects of God’s OT law that are not specifically for New Testament (NT) Christians? Yes. The ceremonial law has been fulfilled by Christ and rendered no longer a part of NT worship. The prime examples of this have to do with the OT temple, the OT priesthood, and the OT sacrifices. Because of Christ, these are obsolete for NT believers—so much so that it would be sinful to continue to practice them.
There are other NT believers who believe (and with whom I agree) that the Sabbath day is not exclusively for OT Israel or a part of the ceremonial law that was halted by Christ’s sacrifice. To be fair, there are other “sabbaths” that were part of the OT ceremonial law. Examples include monthly and annual sabbaths. The weekly “Sabbath Day,” however, is part of God’s moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments and are therefore required of all believers.
Next time: Biblical reasons the Sabbath is not merely part of the OT Jewish ceremonial law