The Fourth Commandment has been forgotten by most of the world even though, ironically, it is the only one in which God expressly uses the word “remember.” That’s especially tragic considering the many blessings that come with keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, a day that Jesus said was made for all mankind.
Here are five reasons why remembering the Sabbath is still important today …
1. Creation. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder that God created our world. More than that, He kept the Sabbath by ceasing from creating, giving us an example that would help us maintain our connection to Him. “On the seventh day God ended His work. … Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work” (Genesis 2: 2, 3).
2. Redemption. The Sabbath is also identified as a sign of God’s work of redemption, through Jesus Christ, in the lives of His people. “He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’; … There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:4, 9, 10).
3. Allegiance. Keeping the Sabbath holy provides evidence of our allegiance to God. The apostle Paul wrote, “Whom you present yourselves [as] slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Keeping the Sabbath demonstrates our acceptance of God’s authority in our lives.
4. Seal of Authority. The Sabbath commandment contains the seal of God and is a sign of His authority over our world. It serves as a seal in that it gives His title, Creator, and the scope of His dominion, “the heavens and the earth.” (See Exodus 20:8–11.)
5. Eternal. Throughout eternity, the Sabbath will be a constant witness of the creative and re-creative power of God. “It shall come to pass that…from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:23). Keeping it today is like having a taste of the eternity to come!
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