The Sabbath is a regularly recurring holy day. Keeping it is basic to a Christian's relationship with God. When He rested on the seventh day at creation, God set it apart, reaffirming it to Israel in the wilderness by giving it as the fourth of the Ten Commandments in the section Jesus summarized as showing how to love God. Idolatry and Sabbath breaking were largely responsible for Israel's downfall. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, clearly taught that the Sabbath is made for man. He and His apostles kept it, and it is nowhere abrogated either by command or example in the New Testament. The prophets show the Sabbath being kept after Christ's return.
Scripture References:
Genesis 2:1-3; 26:1-5; Exodus 16:4-30; 20:8-11; 31:13; Leviticus 23:1-3; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Matthew 22:37-40; Ezekiel 20:12-16, 20, 24; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2; 18:4, 11; Hebrews 4:4-10; Isaiah 58:13-14; 66:22-23; Ezekiel 45:17; 47:3-4, 12
From the Library: Sabbath
God's Sabbath
Bible Study by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Sabbath is the pivot on which the others turn. This basic study treats the foundational truths about God's Sabbath day.
Did God Change the Sign From the Sabbath to the Holy Spirit?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeA common idea is that the Sabbath is the sign of the Old Covenant, but the Holy Spirit is the sign of the New. Yet the seventh day has been holy since creation.
The Sabbath: Creation
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Sabbath provides an opportunity for God's children to develop a relationship with Him, reflecting on the spiritual as well as the physical creation.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe need to develop righteous judgment about what constitutes a genuine Sabbath emergency and what may be a deceptive rationalization of our human nature.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIt is from the proper use of the Sabbath—in fellowshipping with Him and getting to know Him—that we derive true spiritual rest and refreshment.
The Fourth Commandment (Part Two): Christ's Attitude Toward the Sabbath
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIn the Gospels, questions about the Sabbath center on how to keep it, not whether it should be kept. The way Jesus approached the Sabbath gives us an example.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe biblical instructions for Sabbath keeping apply far more to the church than to the Israelites, who did not have the fullness of scriptural counsel.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughHow and why a person keeps the Sabbath determines whether this test commandment is really a sign between God and His people or an act of futility.
For more resources, please see the library topic for Sabbath