In an article by Patrick Mabilog at ChristianToday.com, he asks, “Sabbath debate: Saturday or Sunday? Does the day really matter?” He goes on to state in the article, “While it’s important to know historically what the Sabbath day really was, the essence of Sabbath has very little to do with the day it is practiced and more to do with how we spend it.”
He then argues that it was the practice of the early church to worship on the first day of the week, Sunday, rather than on the seventh day of the week, Saturday. But then he refers to Genesis 2:2, which identifies the Sabbath as the seventh day. Finally, he concludes that people take many different days off for Sabbath. The author himself admits Sabbath is on Monday for him.
The article comes to a false conclusion that many have wrongly accepted: “The essence of the Sabbath does not lie on the day it falls under. The essence of the Sabbath is a Person, and that person is Jesus Christ.” He adds, “What day you celebrate Sabbath, how long you celebrate it or how often does not matter if it is not spent in Christ.”
While Sabbath is certainly a day to spend with God, does the Lord give us guidelines on when He invites us to worship Him on Sabbath? If a certain day of the week was made holy (set apart for a sacred use), can humans decide to pick their own holy day?
The fourth commandment specifically states, “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” (Exodus 20:8–10, emphasis added).
You may choose your own day of weekly rest, but it may not be “the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” When God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger in stone, did the Lord really intend for people to decide how they would keep the law? Perhaps this is why the fourth commandment begins with the word, “Remember.”
Just as the loyalty of Adam and Eve was tested by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—a place in the midst of the garden of Eden, so the loyalty of every human is tested by the Sabbath command placed in the midst of the Decalogue. The question remains, Will you honor God by keeping His Sabbath or pick your own day?
Read "Can’t we keep holy any day of the week?" by clicking here.
Also in the News …
A Return to Sabbath Minus the Guilt. Here is another article that suggests humans decide how to keep Sabbath and not bother with Bible guidelines.
Principles and Exceptions. This pastor’s article states that “blue laws failed because we tried to force things that are for the followers of God on those who do not want to follow Him.” Religious liberty is a right of all people, even in relationship to Sabbath keeping.
24/7 Living the Sabbath in the 21st Century. This helpful article discusses practical ways to keep the Sabbath in today’s busy society.