New Testament Christians and Keeping The Sabbath

Are New Testament believers required to keep the Old Testament law—either in part or in full? Christian maturity requires us to master the distinction between specific adherence to the law versus application of the general principles we can deduce from it. We must learn to distinguish between practice (the letter of the law) and principle (the spirit of the law)—and at all times, fulfill the highest law, the law of love.

The Journey // Focus: Exodus 31:12-14, 16-17

The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses: “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. … The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”

Any sincere follower of Christ will eventually face the issue of what place the Old Testament law has in the life of a New Testament believer. And there are no easy answers. Those who legalistic apply the law in their faith, like Sabbath keeping or strictly observing Jewish feasts, have embraced an “easy answer” solution to this complex issue. I say that because obviously, they only apply certain aspects of that law, but not others. For instance, regarding Sabbath keeping, if you have read on in Exodus 31 you noted in verse 15 that anyone who “desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community.” Methinks there is some selective obedience to the law in the strict legalist camp!

Yet to completely ignore the commands God gave his people or limit them as only applicable to a small group of Hebrews for a limited time in history is to miss and diminish God’s heart that his law was to be as a perpetual sign of his covenant.

I think the most theologically healthy and honest approach would be simply to acknowledge the difficulty of this issue. Any easy explanation of the role of the law in a Christian’s life is probably incomplete at best; flat out misleading at worst. We also must admit that the Scriptures nowhere divide the Law into Moral, Judicial, and Sacrificial categories—which enables us to set aside most of them while electively embracing a few others. The truth is, they are one unit, and any divisions are extra-biblical. That doesn’t mean our divisions are necessarily wrong; they are simply man made ways of understanding the role of the law.

So when the apostle Paul says we are freed from the law, it speaks not to one part of the law but to all of it. Paul had no distinction of categories of law. Using the gold standard law of the Sabbath as an example, what the apostle set aside was “the strict observance” of it:

“So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. (Colossians 2:16-17)

In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. (Romans 14:5)

Interestingly, in Galatians 5:22-25, Paul specifically says that if you are led by the Holy Spirit, law keeping and law breaking is a non-issue.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

This is the heart of the matter for the New Testament believer’s posture toward the Old Testament law. In our example of the Sabbath, should we abide by it? I think Paul would say “no”, unless the Holy Spirit leads you to the observance of one specific day. Yet is there a Sabbath principle we must come to grips with? Absolutely. Here are some thoughts offered by Professor David Seemuth:

One does not violate a Sabbath principle and not be affected. Why? Not because there is a penalty associated with Sabbath breaking (that would be Old Covenant) but because built into the Sabbath principle is the preservation and nourishment of the believer. In fact, I think that is the primary issue. Any penalties for “law breaking” have been dealt with in Christ. But there are still principles of importance and preservation and nourishment for the believer contained in the Old Covenant. We don’t follow these because we “must” (as in “do this and live”) but because under the power of the Holy Spirit we are convinced of the Word given to us in Scripture.

So what do we do with the law? Again, there are no easy answers to this complex question. But Christian maturity requires us to master the distinction between specific adherence to the law versus application of the general principles we can deduce from it. Again, using our example, we must distinguish between the Sabbath day and the Sabbath principle.

We do not violate a Sabbath principle because there is a penalty associated with Sabbath day breaking—excommunication or execution—but because built into the Sabbath principle is the preservation and nourishment of the believer. As Professor Seemuth pointed out, penalties for “law breaking” have been dealt with in Christ. But there are still promises in the principle of the law for the believer contained in the Old Covenant that God intended perpetually for the good of our relationship with him as well as for the good of our physical, emotional, relational lives.

We don’t follow these because we “must” but because under the power of the Holy Spirit we are convinced that they are essential to the fulfillment of a law higher than the law of Moses, and that is the law of Christ, which is the law of love.

And when we fulfill that law of love, against such, there is no other law!