Ask the Pastor 124

Should we keep the Sabbath

The Sabbath day is Saturday the 7th day of the week and the keeping of the Sabbath is a part of the law of Moses, the 4th of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:8). The doctrine of the Sabbath day precedes the law in Exodus, it first appears in the book of Genesis 2:2-3, where the Lord God finished His work of creation on the seventh day and rested. He then blessed that day and sanctified it, which is to set it apart, as the day in which He rested. Why would He do that, does God need to rest? The answer is, of course not. He chose to set aside a day of rest to set an example to mankind, that after 6 days of work, there is to be a day of rest. Sociological studies have been done that show that those who take a day of rest are more productive than those who work a full seven days per week. The idea that more will be accomplished by working every day has been empirically proven to be false, so take a break, a day of rest. Secondly, we read in Hebrews how this day of rest is used an illustration of the rest that is afforded every believer, where by grace we rest in the finished work of Christ and one day, we shall rest in the place that He has prepared for us (Hebrews 4:1-12). Therefore, it is good for men and women to have a day of rest. However, we also know that as believers we are under grace and not under the law as we read, “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.” (Colossians 2:16-17). To be under grace rather than the law one must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and then will be set free from the rule of the law. Watch for next week’s article concerning worship on Sunday.

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.