Biblical and Contemporary Christian Views of the Sabbath

Rest, rejuvenate, restore. How many advertisements and slogans deceitfully sport these words? The human heart rightfully longs to be restored, but it wonders how. Since creation, the Lord God has been the provider and exemplar of the answer: a Sabbath rest after creative work and the ultimate Sabbath spent with Jesus. In this paper, I will go through the appearances of the Sabbath throughout the Old and New Testaments and church history, especially highlighting the purposes behind the Sabbath. Then, I will consider contemporary arguments on whether or not Christians should observe the Sabbath, and if so, what that should look like. 

The Sabbath started in the beginning. Genesis 2:2-3 (NIV) says: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” In that same chapter of Genesis, God also gives mankind work to do, and all is still good. When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the ground, causing work to no longer be good as it once was. Yet he still gave a tiny glimmer of hope: a descendant of Eve would crush the devil (Gen. 3:15). The power of this promise does not become evident for many thousands of years.

Interestingly, the Sabbath itself, and the idea of resting on the seventh day, was not then mentioned until the time of Moses. The first use of the word “Sabbath” in the Bible is in Exodus 16, where Moses commands the Israelites to gather double the portion of food on the sixth day so that they can rest on the seventh. From Genesis and Exodus it starts to become clear why God commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath. First, it is holy. The Sabbath is one among many things – including the Israelites themselves – God made holy so that the Israelites would look different from the surrounding nations, with the ultimate goal of turning the nations to God (Exod 22:31). In fact, God sets aside the Sabbath day not only for his people, but also the animals and foreigners (Exod 20:10). He also sets aside every seventh year and the Year of Jubilee for the land to not be worked (Exod 25). Another reason that the Israelite people and the Sabbath are holy is because God has brought the Israelites into a covenant with himself, and the Sabbath reminds the Israelites of this covenant (Ezek 20:12). All of this would have been radically different from not only the nations around them, but also a day of rest directly diverges from the lifestyle of slavery the Israelites had left behind in Egypt. Not only does God contrast these Sabbath rests from their slavery from work, but it is part of the progression of humankind’s salvation from the curses of the Fall; in this instance, from the curse of work. The Sabbath would temporarily peel back the gloom of daily toil to give them a glimpse of what life is about. Christopher Fung says it well: “Work enables the Sabbath and the Sabbath redeems work. Together, they give existence a meaning.” The last reason I will state here for why God gave the Israelites the Sabbath returns to the idea of  covenant. When God commanded the Israelites to rest every seventh day and year, as well as on the Year of the Jubilee, he asks them to trust him, thus making them faithful to their part of the covenant between God and the Israelites.

The Israelites did not, for the most part, remain faithful in observing the Sabbath days, years, and Years of Jubilee. Often, they went into exile for the sin of not honoring the Sabbath. Jeremiah was just one of the many prophets who prophesied about this (2 Chron 36). At the start of the New Testament, however, during the years of Jesus and his disciples, the Jews are honoring the Sabbath. At least, they seem to be. Yet Jesus constantly clashed with the religious leaders about the Sabbath. In fact, Christopher Fung even proposed that Jesus’ disagreement with the Jews over the Sabbath is ultimately the reason they killed him.

One instance of the debate between Jesus and the religious leaders is particularly relevant here. Matthew 12 tells us of the time when Jesus’ disciples became hungry one Sabbath and began to pick some grain and eat it as they went along. The Pharisees accused the disciples of breaking the law. Indeed, the disciples were breaking the law – the man made hypocritical laws that Jesus often described as “burdensome” to the people. They were not, however, violating the heart of the Sabbath. To prove this, Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” showing the Pharisees the true intent of the Sabbath law. He then leads by example and heals a man with a shriveled hand. He pairs this with a clear statement, a converse of what the Pharisees had said of the disciples: “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath,” and backs up his authority by declaring that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Finally, rounding off Jesus’ poignant sayings of the Sabbath, Mark 2:27 tells us that Jesus also said that ““The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible interprets this as Jesus is now giving the Sabbath for human need, and not legal requirement. Jesus himself answers that need when he says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:28-29). As one of the most commonly-acknowledged functions of the Sabbath is to give rest, and Jesus here inserts himself as giver of that rest, we see the fulfillment of his “Lord of the Sabbath” statement beginning. 

Jesus said many pertinent remarks on the Sabbath. His actions say no less. As a Jew, he faithfully observed the Sabbath. He healed and taught on the Sabbath. Even his death, burial, and resurrection relate to the Sabbath, according to Christopher Fung: Jesus worked on the day before Sabbath, rested in the grave on the Sabbath, and upon rising the next day started a new creation cycle of rest and Sabbath, thus continuing his role as the Lord of the Sabbath. Finally, when Jesus returns to make the world new and banish the remaining traces of sin and evil (fulfilling the promise God gave in the garden of Eden), he will perfectly and completely show his people the full truth of what it means for him to be the Lord of the Sabbath. His actions while on earth relate not only to Sabbath, but also to the need of rest for humans. He and his disciples model this for us: Jesus sleeping in the boat during a storm, Jesus resting at the well in Samaria, and Jesus and his twelve disciples seeking rest after the disciples first missionary journey.

After Jesus ascends into heaven, the focus falls on his followers. His apostles were all Jews, so it is no surprise they continue to observe the Sabbath. Whether or not they thought it was required of them, it was embedded into the center of the culture around them, so it would have been odd if they decided to abandon it. Additionally, this would repulse their fellow Jews, which would have been counterproductive to spreading the Gospel to open hearts. In addition to the Jews still observing the Sabbath day, A new day quickly begins to be observed by the followers of Christ: the Lord’s Day. This was the day after Sabbath, representative of the day Jesus was resurrected. In line with the idea of a new creation cycle as proposed by Fung, and the continuous joy the followers of Jesus experienced, the Lord’s Day was different from the Sabbath of the Jews: the followers of Jesus looked forward to final renewal in heaven as they lived purpose-filled lives on earth, whereas the Jews had simply rested on the Sabbath in preparation for the week of work ahead.

While the Christian Jews typically continued to observe the Sabbath, the apostle Paul writes several passages to the gentile Christian hinting at what was expected of them in regards to Sabbath observance. The Jerusalem Council decided that because a person is saved by faith alone, the gentiles would not be required to observe the Mosaic Law – which includes the Sabbath – and they were given only a few things to stay away from them in order to prevent needless temptation of idolatrous sin (Acts 15:20). It is hotly debated whether gentile Christians met most consistently on the Sabbath day or the day after. The apostle Paul’s writings shed clearer light, rather, on a doctrinal view of Sabbath. For example, In Colossians 2:16-17 Paul said: “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Here again we see that one of the purposes of the Sabbath was to point ahead to Christ and the restoration and peace he gives to those who believe in him, including the ultimate Sabbath of heaven. Furthermore, these verses seem to imply that the gentile Christians do not have to observe the Sabbath; it depends on the discretion and conviction of each believer. Elsewhere, Paul writes: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom 14:5). These esteemed days are likely Sabbaths or the Lord’s Day. A final verse I will mention here is 1 Corinthians 10:23: “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.” As people freed by Jesus Christ, we can do anything, but there are certainly better things to choose over others, Paul seems to be arguing. So, Paul is saying that Christians do not have to observe the Sabbath. But that does not clearly answer the question of if we should if we can. 

The time after the apostles does not shed more clarity on this question. In fact, Christians are quite divided on it, and even on whether the earliest Christians followed the Sabbath or not. For example, John Kiesz quotes The History of the Christian Church in claiming that within the first century church “all Christians agreed in celebrating the seventh day of the week in conformity to the Jewish converts.” Meanwhile, Christopher Fung claims that the followers of Jesus regularly began to meet instead on the day after Sabbath, what they called the Lord’s Day, and that Jesus himself confirmed his acceptance of this when he appeared to John, the author of the book of Revelation, on one such Lord’s Day. Following the time of the apostles, John Kiesz quotes Jesse L. Hurlbut from The Story of the Christian Church: “For fifty years after St. Paul’s life, a curtain hangs over the church, through which we vainly strive to look; and when at last the curtain rises, about A.D. 120, with the writings of the earliest Church Fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul.”

 One difference was the division over the topic of the Sabbath. Tenney writes that among second and third century Christians, “some insisted that it was completely abrogated, while others emphasized its typical character, but all agreed it was not binding on Christians.” Justin Martyr is an example of a Church Father who argued against the Sabbath. Yet, it seems that some still thought it was required. Here is an excerpt from Apostolic Constitutions, written in the mid AD 300s: “Have before thine eyes the fear of God, and always remember the ten commandments of God…Thou shalt observe the Sabbath, on account of Him who ceased from His work of creation, but ceased not from His work of providence; it is a rest for meditation of the law, not for the idleness of the hands.” Regardless of whether or not it is required, the Apostolic Constitutions also claimed that a Sabbath should be taken to meditate on God’s word, and not simply to rest. 

Moving along in history, since the fourth century, the Catholic Church has observed the Lord’s Day, rather than the Sabbath day, as a day of rest. As a part of the Decalogus it is a command that must be followed, as instituted by the authority of and according to the Catholic Church. The Lord’s Day, they believe, is dedicated to orientation towards the worship of God and a “relaxation in the spirit of joy”; acts of mercy are recommended (in keeping with Jesus’ example) while any activity directed away from the worship of God is prohibited and punishable by anathema from Christ. Sabbatarians outside of the Catholic Church still exist today as well.

Meanwhile, during the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luter said that “As for the Sabbath or Sunday, there is no necessity for its observance, and if we do so, the reason ought to be, not because Moses commanded it, but because nature likewise teaches us to give ourselves, from time to time, a day’s rest, in order that man and beast may recruit their strength, and that we may go and hear the Word of God preached.” Protestants continue to hold this view.

So if, as many Christians believe, Sabbath is not a requirement for a Christian, what does that leave it? A cultural ritual? A day for entertainment? No – it is something profound and complex. As mentioned above, God set an example of rest for man at the end of his time of creation. Israel was given the Sabbath command for many reasons: to be rejuvenated in body and spirit, to show their trust in God’s providence, and to have a time set aside to focus on God. The benefits of keeping a Sabbath have not gone away with the requirement to observe it. As the Israelites were asked to emulate God’s example, the apostle Paul asks Christians to follow Christ’s example at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 11, just after he explains what it means to live with freedom in Christ – for the good of others. Keeping in mind that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and that man is for the Sabbath and not vice versa, and also remembering Jesus’ several acts of mercy and healing, this can give a basic outline of what a Sabbath, if a Christian chooses to take one, can look like: one of generosity, rest, and dwelling with God. 

Modern research confirms several benefits of Sabbathing. A Duke University Pulpit & Pew survey showed that over forty percent of pastors felt “depressed or worn out.” Nathan Cachiaras, who cited similar results, argues that it is because most do not have a day like a Sabbath, which would prevent burnout. Contrastingly, a 2019 study on clergy revealed that Sabbath-keeping has minimal correlation with better mental and physical health, it has a very strong correlation with spiritual well-being. Either way, God knew humans needed a well-rounded rest and provided the Sabbath as one means to attain that. 

Cachiaras however, warns against focusing on the benefits of Sabbath: “Sabbath can then become self-serving, almost directly opposed to the original expression of worship with God.” When the Christian takes this day off, what do they do with it? Use it for themselves? To avoid this, a Christian would ideally approach this day with Jesus, rather than health, rest, or entertainment, as the center of it. Those fearful of failing at this, however, may turn the Sabbath into a day of overwork on behalf of others. Jesus did acts of mercy and healing on the Sabbath; what is keeping it from becoming a day of complete service? While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, and in fact could easily bring about a spiritual growth as a person is stretched in self-sacrifice, the statistic about pastors I related above reminds that it is not sustainable. Just like how there were times Jesus commended abandoning work to sit at his feet, explicitly set examples of both counter-cultural self-sacrifice and time set aside to be alone with his father, gave his followers hard tasks and upon completion invited them to rest, and at different times was joyfully filled when he worked or was agonizingly emptied, there is so much vibrancy to the Christian life that narrowing it down to one mode of worship of God is not fulfilling the law that sums up all the laws: to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Luke 10:39-40, John 13, Mark 1:35, John 4:32, Matt 26, Mark 12:30). This applies no less to how a Christian approaches their Sabbath: holistically, with loving God at the center. Each person and their circumstances is different, though. What does that look like for each individual Christian?

N. T. Wright’s book After You Believe, though it does not make much mention of the Sabbath, speaks wonderfully into this topic. In this book, N. T. Wright speaks about how the Christian cultivates the species of virtue Paul talks about in his epistles – the fruits of the Spirit – through joyous hard work as their eyes are fixed on their future perfection in Christ. Regarding this future, Norman Wirzba, author of Living in the Sabbath, puts forward a curious idea: that God’s Sabbath, and not man, was God’s pinnacle creation. Whether or not it is true, it still uniquely emphasizes the looking-forwardness of this life to the perfect one of unique rest Jesus has prepared, and is preparing, for us.

Wright proposes a lifestyle of Christian virtue in contrast with the often-taken extremes of legalism and emotive spontaneity. Legalism will produce works, but do not guide a person when they stumble into a situation for which they have no rules. Spontaneity will evoke occasional deeds, but can easily lead astray. Over the long course of virtue, however, such a person cultivating it will second-naturedly know what is right. Such thinking can apply to how a person can add the concept of Sabbath to their life. They desire, and try with the Holy Spirit’s help, to honor God, trust him with their time amidst a busy life, rest, enjoy his creation, and be available for what he may bring along the way. Therefore, whatever circumstances they find themselves in, they learn to know how to best set aside time to worship God.

Why do most Christians not Sabbath frequently? Nathan Cachiaras proposes that it is because Christians struggle to trust God with the time a Sabbath would take out of busy lives, similar to how the Israelites floundered in their trust that God would provide food for them. Thankfully, Christians have the biblical scriptures that provide endless examples of God’s unfailing providence and countless testimonies of his kept promises. Most of all, though, Christians have the sure hope: Jesus is preparing them, day by day, for a future of endless Sabbath with him.

Bibliography 

Cachiaras, Nathan. “The Sabbath Paradox: Sustaining Ministry Through Sabbath.” (2013).

Fung, Christopher. “Sabbath--A Biblical Understanding of Creation Care.” Evangelical Review of Theology 36, no. 4 (October 1, 2012): 316–31. 

Fung, Christopher. "The Institutions of Hope." Evangelical Quarterly 80, no. 3 (2008).

Hough, Holly, Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, Xin Liu, Carl Weisner, Elizabeth L. Turner, and Jia Yao. “Relationships between Sabbath Observance and Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health in Clergy.” Pastoral Psychology 68, no. 2 (April 2019): 171–93. doi:10.1007/s11089-018-0838-9.

Kiesz, John. A History of the Sabbath & Sunday. Bible Sabbath Association, 1992.

Pector, Elizabeth A. “Professional Burnout Detection, Prevention, and Coping.” Clergy Journal 81, no. 9 (September 2005): 19–20. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cookie&db=rlh&AN=18430108&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Reardon, Patrick Henry. “As It Is Written..” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity 36, no. 3 (May 2023): 56. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cookie&db=rlh&AN=163343912&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

 Schreck, Alan. The Essential Catholic Catechism: A Readable, Comprehensive Catechism, 2000. https://doi.org/10.1604/9781569551288.

Tenney, Merrill Chapin. The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible: Volume 5, 2009.

Wirzba, Norman. Living the Sabbath. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006.

Wright, N. T. After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. Harper Collins, 2010.

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