The Foundations of the Faith

Studies in Genesis 1-11

Sermon Number Ten: The Doctrine of Sabbath (part 4)

Jim Bordwine, Th.D.

Introduction

REVIEW

In the last sermon, we began looking at the development of the doctrine of Sabbath in the New Testament. I concentrated on Heb. 4 where the writer brings together the Old Testament Sabbath idea, the symbolism of the promised land and the current status of his readers. He teaches that the true and everlasting spiritual rest, which was pictured in the Sabbath, would have had an earthly manifestation in the promised land. The exodus generation, however, refused to enter the land due to unbelief and they all died in the wilderness. As the writer explains, the invitation which God issued to that generation was a type of the gospel, just like the Sabbath itself. He teaches that the invitation to enter God’s rest always was, in essence, the gospel; it always was an invitation to trust in the coming Messiah who would take away sins and give true and lasting spiritual peace with God.

Now that the Messiah had come, the writer is explaining to his reader their status. They did not live in the day of the gospel anticipated and the gospel represented in types, like the promised land. They lived in the day of redemption accomplished. This is where the writer provides important instruction regarding the doctrine of Sabbath. He teaches that since the Sabbath doctrine was a creation ordinance, it is always binding and must, therefore, find some expression in every age. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was manifested in an anticipatory way so that the attention of the worshipers was directed toward the Messiah who was yet to come. But now, these readers were bound to reflect the new state of affairs by giving expression to the Sabbath principle in an appropriate way.

The writer declares that a Sabbath rest remains for New Testament Christians. He means that what was pictured in the Sabbath from the time of creation is still relevant because we have not come into the very presence God yet. But, redemption had been accomplished; so it would be wrong to express the Sabbath principle in a way that looked like no change had occurred. Indeed, a major change had occurred with the coming of the Savior. The question, then, is how the Sabbath principle is to find expression in the age of Christ, in the age of redemption accomplished.

END OF REVIEW

02. The Development of the Doctrine (continued)

As I mentioned last time, we find the New Testament Church sanctifying the first day of the week in order to give expression to the Sabbath principle. This practice is traced, of course, to the Sunday morning of Christ’s resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a pivotal element in the doctrine of redemption. His triumph over death signaled man’s restoration before God. Sunday, then, was redeemed man’s first day in the rest of God in Christ. What was pictured in the seventh-day Sabbath of the Old Testament is declared to have arrived in the first-day Sabbath of the New Testament. Under the direction of the Apostles, the early Christians observed Sunday as a day of rest—rest in the sense of temporarily setting aside other concerns so that they might enjoy fellowship with God and with one another as they worshiped and dwelt on the great act of redemption which had been accomplished for them.

Just as Saturday symbolized fallen man’s need of rest, Sunday now symbolized redeemed man’s possession of that rest in Christ. The resurrection of Christ meant that He had done what was needed to secure that rest for weary and alienated man. After the resurrection, a seventh-day Sabbath would have been entirely inappropriate due to the symbolism involved. So, as I’ve said, the early Church began sanctifying that day which had such profound meaning to the faithful—Sunday. We find, therefore, references to the Sunday meetings of the early Church in a few places in the New Testament.

The very first Sunday meeting was, of course, the day of the resurrection itself. The Gospel accounts reveal that Jesus appeared to the eleven who were gathered together and declared: “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) This was the initial word from the mouth of the risen Savior—peace. This was a most fitting greeting given that the resurrection, as I have stated, marked the achievement of peace between the offended God and fallen man in Christ. Peace is what man had with God before the fall and peace is what man anticipated after the fall as he counted on the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Deliverer.

Peace is what was pictured in the Old Testament Sabbath and it is what would have been given an earthly manifestation in the promised land, had Israel acted faithfully. Peace is what Jesus attained for us. We were, according to Rom. 5:10, enemies of God apart from the Savior, enemies due to Adam’s rebellion and enemies due to our own sinful indulgences. Christ paid for our sins and provided a righteousness for us and this was accomplished with finality on the day of His resurrection from the dead. This is why He could declare “Peace” to His disciples on this first Sunday of the age of the Messiah.

That first day of the first week after the resurrection was also, following Biblical symbolism, the first day of redeemed man’s first week. It was a new beginning for man, it was man back in the Garden, as it were, before he disobeyed God’s instructions. Christ made atonement and fallen man, in Him, was restored when Jesus left the tomb. From this point forward, those who were in Christ, those who believed the gospel, would be at peace with God and from this point forward, they would mark this entrance into the rest of God by sanctifying the new day of redemption accomplished, which was Sunday.

Not only did Christ come announcing “Peace” on this Sunday, He also expounded God’s Word to them:

Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

This first Sunday becomes the day on which the defeat of sin is announced and fallen man learns that Christ has secured for him a place with God. This is the first day since the transgression of Adam that fallen man has known that he has peace with God. This is the first day of a new world, the world of the re-creation, the world of the new humanity. This fact prompts me to offer a brief excursus before continuing our examination of Sabbath-keeping in the New Testament.

I noted previously that one of the functions of the Old Testament Sabbath was to remind the Jews that God was their Creator (cf. Ex. 20 and the text of the Fourth Commandment) and thus reinforce the notion of their dependence upon Him. We have the same notion in the New Testament, but in the context of redemption. Paul said that our union with Christ means that we have been raised to walk “in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) We who were dead in sin have been made alive together in Christ. (Eph. 2:5) The resurrection of Christ means a re-creation has begun. Paul even refers to redemption in Christ as “a new creation” (Gal. 6:15) and as “a renewal” (Col. 3:11). He also declares that “if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature...” (2 Cor. 5:17)

The resurrection of Christ is forever associated with the creation of a new humanity, the Church. Therefore, just like the Sabbath in the Old Testament reminded the Jews that God was the Creator (cf. Ex. 20), so the sanctification of the day of the resurrection is intended to remind us that in Christ, we are re-created. This makes the sanctification of the resurrection day extremely important to our spiritual well-being. It reminds us of a fundamental truth of our redemption, which is that God and God alone is responsible for our present state.

Moreover, we saw that the Old Testament Sabbath had a second function, in terms of serving as a reminded of some important truth. It also was intended to remind the Jews of their deliverance from bondage in Egypt (cf. Deut. 5 and the text of the Fourth Commandment) and, thus, produce in them a thankful and humble love and obedience. Likewise, we find the same idea associated with the work of Christ in the New Testament. Paul describes Jesus as the One “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father...” (Gal. 1:4) This “present evil age” is our bondage. The writer of Hebrews says that Christ’s mission was to “deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” (Heb. 2:15) This is a direct and deliberate description of our redemption in terms of Israel’s captivity in Egypt.

Another such statement is made by Paul when he says that God “delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13, 14) Clearly, then, sanctification of the day of the resurrection is also intended to remind us of our gracious deliverance from the bondage of sin. Every Sunday gathering of the Church is an act of remembrance and a declaration of our duty to walk humbly and thankfully before the One who saved us and is keeping us in this life.

Now, returning to Christ’s appearance to His disciples on that first Sunday, let me point out that He did more that declare “Peace” to those early Christians. Notice, too, that the mission of the Church is outlined here for the disciples on this first Sunday of the age of the Messiah (cf. vv. 47, 48). Although it might not have appeared likely at this time, they were going to become heralds of the Messiah throughout the world. In preparation for this, the Savior tells them something else—they were to wait for an event which He terms being “clothed with power from on high.” (v. 49) This, of course, has reference to the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the tiny Church by the risen Christ from His exalted position in heaven.

This is not all to be noted about Christ’s appearances, however. The very next Sunday, His disciples were again gathered together and the risen Christ manifested Himself to them in the upper room. (cf. John 20:26) Again, He announced: “Peace be with you.” This is the day on which the doubting Thomas is convinced of the reality of the resurrection. The first two Sundays after the resurrection, therefore, included appearances by the Savior and instruction, comfort and challenges to the disciples. It’s no wonder that we never again read of the disciples gathering together on Saturday! The Old Testament Sabbath of anticipation was buried with Christ; now it was time for the New Testament, post-resurrection Sabbath of Sunday. The Old Testament Sabbath was fulfilled and, therefore, abolished by and in Christ Jesus. He was the rest toward which that day had directed generations of God’s people.

As it turns out, there are several more appearances of the resurrected Christ mentioned in the New Testament, all of which took place before His ascension. Even though I strongly suspect that these additional appearances also took place on Sunday, there is no way to prove it. But, based upon the first two appearances, one thing is clear: the disciples would forever associate Sunday with the triumph of their Savior and with their assignment as His representatives on the earth. And if, in fact, the other appearances of Christ took place on Sunday, then that would only serve to explain further why the early Church immediately adopted Sunday as a day of worship, instruction, fellowship and prayer.

This brings us to the next significant event following the resurrection appearances of Christ. As we just saw, Jesus ordered the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were “clothed with power from on high.” This was a reference, as I stated, to the day of Pentecost. This is the day of the Church’s “birth,” we might say. This is the day when the disciples were supernaturally equipped to do the task given to them by the risen Savior. This is the day on which the Church makes Herself known to the world. This is the day on which the gospel is declared publicly for the first time after the resurrection of Christ; it is message, of course, which becomes the defining characteristic of the Church’s ministry throughout history.

As it turns out, evidence suggests that this particular Pentecost Day was also a Sunday. It appears that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples in Jerusalem on the first day of the week, which was the day of the resurrection, the New Testament Sabbath. This certainly would have been in keeping with the pattern we observe in the latter portion of Christ’s activities before His ascension. He arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the week amid shouts of praise and declarations that He was, indeed, the Son of God and the Savior. Jesus was raised from the dead on the next Sunday morning, as we have already emphasized. And, we know that He appeared to His disciples the very next Sunday and may, in fact, have made all of His post-resurrections on Sunday up to the time of His departure.

If, then, this Pentecost fell on a Sunday, it would have been one more resurrection day event in the life of the Church. A Sunday Pentecost would have confirmed the importance attached to that day by the Lord Himself and it would have been in keeping with the belief and practice of the early Church, which we observe in the book of Acts and elsewhere after Pentecost. In light of all this, therefore, it should not puzzle us to find John referring to Sunday as “the Lord’s Day.” (Rev. 1:10) He is the only one who uses this term, but it does reveal the thinking of the early Christians. Sunday was, as I’ve emphasized, forever connected to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was their Sabbath; this was the day on which they gave expression to the creation ordinance of holy resting; in their cast, however, their resting also pointed to God’s act of re-creating what had been ruined by the fall. The early Christians could rest because Christ had reconciled them to God and they portrayed that everlasting rest symbolically on the first day of the week, the day of Christ’s triumphal resurrection.

With this background, I want to address one objection which is so often raised against belief in the continuing validity of the doctrine of Sabbath. In his remarks to the Colossian Christians, Paul warns them:

2:16 Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

This statement comes just after Paul explains the absolute finality and sufficiency of the work of Jesus Christ. Whatever fallen man needed, Paul explains, whatever knowledge or wisdom he lacked, has been supplied in a full and complete fashion in and by Christ. The Colossians, we know, were being troubled by some who suggested that a full knowledge of God and a complete redemption involved adherence to a set of standards which were not part of the gospel. This heresy had a decidedly ascetic character (Paul notes that one of their requirements was “self-abasement and severe treatment of the body” in v. 23). There is also a definite Jewish influence to be observed. This group required adherence to certain portions, at least, of the Mosaic law, as is plain from the verses just read.

Paying no attention to the context nor to the development of the doctrine of Sabbath elsewhere in the New Testament, some have concluded that Paul is teaching that New Testament, post-resurrection Christians have no obligation whatsoever where the Sabbath is concerned. In one sense, they are correct, but it is not in the sense they think. Paul is condemning Sabbath-keeping, to be sure, but the Sabbath observance which he obviously has in mind is that which is required in the Mosaic legislation—the seventh-day, end of the week Sabbath. As I have pointed out several times, it would have been entirely inappropriate for the New Testament Church to continue a holy resting on the seventh day because that was a Sabbath of anticipation. The early Christians lived in the day of Sabbath fulfillment and so their expression of the Sabbath ordinance had to be of a properly reflective nature. As we have seen in our study of Heb. 4 and the post-resurrection appearances of the Savior, that expression is associated with the first day of the week, the first day of redeemed man’s new life in Christ.

When the Colossians heard that they still had to keep the Sabbath, they were hearing that from heretics of some Jewish persuasion. The Colossians were not bound to keep the Jewish Sabbath any more than they were bound to be circumcised (cf. v. 11). All the talk about observing regulations about food and drink, festivals and new moons, was utter nonsense in the context of the once-for-all, absolutely and totally sufficient atonement provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. So, yes, Paul was correct to denounce this heretical, anti-gospel, anti-Christian teaching. Those who cite this passage should pay closer attention to what is being said. Otherwise, they put themselves in the position of calling evil that which God calls good and blessed, which is the holy and everlasting Sabbath.

03. The Application of the Doctrine (continued)

I come now to my last remarks concerning the application of what we have learned. I’m going to do something a bit different. I’m going to offer some practical application of our lengthy study by asking and answering some of the most obvious and familiar questions, which occur in the context of discussing the Sabbath.

First: Is there a continuing Sabbath obligation, and, if so, why? The answer to this question has a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning is Gen. 2 where God Himself, the Creator, provides a pattern of work and rest. As I have explained, since this pattern comes within the context of the creation, we understand it to be something which is related to us as a race. The middle portion of my answer comes from the observance of a Sabbath day in the Old Testament, prior to the coming of the Messiah. As we have seen, God commanded that His pattern be imitated by those who lived after Adam and before Christ. He commanded that they keep a weekly Sabbath. His explanation for the keeping of this weekly Sabbath, in part, confirms the obligation as a creation ordinance. The Fourth Commandment in Ex. 20 makes reference to the conduct of God at the time of creation as a foundation for Israel’s duty.

Finally, the answer to this question has an end. This end is, of course, the obligation as it is to be expressed in the post-resurrection era, or the age of the Messiah and redemption accomplished. Due to the fact that the Sabbath doctrine was a creation ordinance, it has to find expression even in the day of Christ; but, due to the fact that the Jewish Sabbath was not just a manifestation of a creation ordinance, but also a symbolic representation of man in need of God’s rest, the post-resurrection keeping of the Sabbath had to change—the duty to sanctify one day remained, but the day which would be sanctified had to change to reflect symbolically the wonderful truth that fallen man now had entered that rest of God in Christ.

So, yes, there is a continuing Sabbath obligation, but without a careful study of this issue throughout the whole Bible, one is quite likely to conclude otherwise. This is not a matter of Old Testament versus New Testament, or Jew versus Gentile; it is a matter of a timeless duty finding proper expression in relation to the unfolding drama of redemption. Sabbath-keeping is most definitely a duty which belongs to us today. Sanctifying the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection, shows that we know where we stand; it shows that we know that salvation has been accomplished for us.

Second: How does our perspective on the Sabbath issue differ from that of the true worshiper of God before Christ came? I just gave part of the answer to this question. Our Sabbath observance, as post-resurrection Christians, differs from that of the true worshiper of God in the Old Testament period as “realized” differs from “hoped for” or “fulfilled” differs from “predicted” or “type” differs from “substance.” The difference between now and then is redemption accomplished versus redemption promised.

The Sabbath today signifies the accomplishment of what the Old Testament Sabbath signified as an expectation. The difference is not like “night and day,” because we are not talking about opposite perspectives, we are talking about different perspectives. Sunday reminds us that we are saved in Christ; Saturday reminded the Jews that they needed to be saved in Christ. We keep a Sabbath in the rest and they kept a Sabbath in anticipation of the rest. We keep one day like Adam before his fall and they kept one day like Adam after his fall. The common elements are redemption and Christ and the gospel.

Third: Is Sunday absolutely the only day on which Christians should observe a holy rest? Contrary to some who say that any day can be a Sabbath day, I answer, yes, Sunday is absolutely the only day on which we should observe a holy rest. I say this because, throughout Scripture the particular day of the week which was associated with the Sabbath duty was not arbitrarily picked, but was theologically required. The last day Sabbath had a specific theological character, as I explained, and the first Sabbath now has a specific theological character. The former means that redemption is coming and the latter, because it is the day of Christ’s resurrection, means that redemption is here. This formula simply does not work with any other day or set of days in our week.

Fourth: What, exactly, does the sanctifying of the first day of the week symbolize? I include this question even though I’ve already answered it in order to make sure that we all get the point. Sanctifying the first day of the week symbolizes my salvation; it is a declaration of the truth that I am no longer condemned before God, but stand now before Him in the resurrection vindication of His own Son, Jesus Christ. When I set aside this day, I am saying that I believe the gospel and I am saying that I believe that I am saved by that gospel.

Sabbath-keeping is now and always has been a testimony to the world regarding Christian doctrine and Christian hope. We sanctify Sunday, but we realize that even our Sabbath symbolizes something greater which is to come. Even our Sabbath points to a day of perfect and eternal rest in heaven with our Creator and Savior. Sanctifying unto God the first day out of our week is one of the most profound acts which we can commit before a watching world; and it is, I believe, one of the most powerful tools for turning wicked men from the path of destruction to serve the living and true God. People who allow their lives to be governed by a single day must be people who believe something pretty strongly; they must be people who take seriously what they profess to believe.

Fifth: What does God expect of me on the Lord’s Day? I can answer this question with a list, but this list is not your typical “Sabbath list.” This list has nothing to do with shopping or playing ball or skiing or watching television. Those things are trivial compared to the majesty of the Lord’s Day; those things are the kinds of things we wrestle with when we think we know what the Sabbath is about, but really do not. Once we understand this amazing doctrine, this doctrine which is so intimately associated with our redemption, then we quickly will be able to discern which activities “fit” on this day and which do not. With this understanding comes liberty from the torment of typical Sabbath “lists.”

So, what does God expect of us on the Sabbath? He expects thanksgiving for His gift of salvation. The day of resurrection is the day on which your destiny was sealed. When Christ came forth from the tomb, you might as well have been with Him. So, on this day when we commemorate the resurrection, surely God expects us to be thankful; surely God expects us to be grateful for what He has done in delivering our souls from unimaginable anguish. The sanctification of the first day, the resurrection day, is a tremendous aid in our struggle to remain properly thankful to God.

God also, no doubt, expects joyful worship. Now, I said joyful worship—enthusiastic, soul-stirring worship. Sunday is the day on which we assemble before the One who made us, promised us a Deliverer after we sinned and sent that Deliverer for us. Sunday is the day on which we get to come together into His presence and praise Him, adore Him, enjoy Him and behold Him. If it were not for Christ, we would not have this privilege and Christ gained that privilege for us on the day of His resurrection and the day of His resurrection is our glorious, happy Sabbath!

We now worship on this day in the rest of God. This is not a time nor is it a place for humdrum, down in the mouth, can’t hardly keep my eyes open worship. If worship is boring, then maybe you are not saved. If you can’t keep your eyes open, then get more sleep. But don’t you dare blame your restlessness or your lack of attention or your failure to love God properly on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a delight to all who truly love God and it is an extreme pleasure for all those who know where they could be were it not for God’s grace.

In connection with joyful worship, I’m sure that God expects hardy singing. The hymns which we sing together on the Lord’s Day declare our faith. Singing is not a pause in our worship, it is our worship. What we are saying with our mouths as we sing should be truthful and faithful to the Word; and if our songs are truthful and faithful to the Word, then they should be backed by our most robust and enthusiastic efforts. Strong singing, singing done with whatever strength and talent we can muster, is what God expects of us on the Lord’s Day.

Finally, I think God also expects eager fellowship from us on this day. Sunday is a day on which the saints gather; it is a day on which those who share in the resurrection of the Savior come together. We should look forward to this day for all the reasons I’ve stated, but also for the simple pleasure of one another’s company. Not one of us alone is the body of Christ; not one of us alone constitutes the Church. When God appoints one day to be a day of manifesting our redeemed status before the world, then He expects us to come to the place of the gathering with great anticipation knowing that we are going to see our brothers and our sisters and our children in Christ, knowing that it has been a whole week since we last were together. Sunday lets us view one another in the beauty of holiness and that is a wonderful privilege which we ought not to discount.

Conclusion