The Sabbath only applies to the Jewish communities and therefore the seventh day of the week is also a “Jewish Sabbath”, according to a widespread view. Christianity must stick to the first day of the week, i.e. Sunday. This is a fatal mistake.
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The New Covenant did not change the Sabbath
A very large proportion of evangelicals are of the opinion that the laws of Moses in the Old Testament are no longer valid. Therefore, the 10 Commandments no longer apply within the framework of the “Old Covenant” and the Sabbath affects a religious group other than Christians anyway. However, if you look back to the days of creation, you can quickly see that the 7th day of the week was beatified and sanctified by the LORD from the beginning. Thus in Genesis 2:2-3:
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
At that time there were no Judeans.
Even in Moses’ time, when the 10 Commandments of the Lord were written on tablets of stone, there was still no sight of the Judeans far and wide. It was still about the “wandering” people of Israel and there were descendants of the son of Israel Judah.
The New Covenant no longer contains 10 commandments?
The old covenant was replaced by Jesus Christ with the new covenant. The new covenant is the “better covenant”. That’s right. However, this does not mean that the old covenant was bad or defective.
In principle, the New Covenant does not differ at all from the Old Covenant. Both covenants describe the way of redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ (Info). The sacrifices practiced by the people of Israel using the tabernacle, later the temple, symbolized the work of Jesus Christ. He prepared the way to salvation through faith.
After Jesus Christ took upon himself all human sins and paid the only possible price, death, for it, all ceremonial laws, which meant nothing other than symbols for the work of Jesus, became obsolete. The 10 Commandments of Moses (Moral Laws) were by no means abolished. Without laws, there would be no sin, since, after all, sin is breaking the law.
The Sabbath was never abolished
The Sabbath is the 4th commandment of the moral law and therefore fully valid. The 4th commandment according to Exodus 20:8-11:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
This command clearly identifies the Lord as the Creator of all things. No matter how many “gods” can be defined, only He is our Creator God. The Sabbath is His seal and the sign of His authority. Only one self-appointed authority dared to change the Sabbath (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday) to move and defends this also with very frank words. The Roman Catholic Church (Info).
The Sabbath is also observed in the New Testament
The New Testament gives numerous examples that the Sabbath was never eliminated. However, there is an “institution” which, based on pure Self-authorization moved Saturday to Sunday (Info). Some verses clearly show the ministry of the apostles after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus that the 7th day is still observed.
Sample verses about the Sabbath in the NT
Matthew 12:5:
“Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?”
Matthew 24:20:
“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:”
This reference of Jesus concerned the future at that time, the fall of Jerusalem. This actually happened in AD 70. under the Roman generals and later Emperor Titus, i.e. long after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
Acts 13:14:
“But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.”
Acts 13:27:
“For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.”
Acts 13:42:
“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.”
Acts 13:44:
“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.”
Acts 15:21:
“For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.”
Acts 16:13:
“And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.”
Acts 17:2:
“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,”
Acts 18:4:
“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks”
The Sabbath is also valid in the future
The fact that the Sabbath was never abolished and will never be abolished in the future is already shown by the view of the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. He looked to the world to come after judgment had come upon mankind.
Isaiah 66,23-24:
“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”
Bible verses from King James Version
