Angelo Austria

Elder, Scarborough Filipino Seventh-day Adventist Church

Are Christians Obligated to observe

the 7th day Sabbath?

Definition of Terms

Christians 1a: one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus

Christ

1b: disciple

Obligation Something one is bound to do: duty, responsibility.

Commandment Something that is commanded esp: one of the biblical Ten

Commandments

Merriam-Webster‟s Collegiate Dictionary, 2003

Main Points

1. Sabbath Keeping is a COMMANDMENT

not a SUGGESTION

2. Sabbath-keeping was NOT ABROGATED

3. Saved Christians are

OBEDIENT/COMMANDMENT KEEPERS

1. Sabbath keeping is a

COMMANDMENT not a suggestion

A. Biblical Definition of COMMANDMENT

B. Sabbath Commandment in the Old and New

Testament

1. Sabbath keeping is a

COMMANDMENT not a suggestionA. Biblical Definition of COMMANDMENT:

Commandment (Heb. Mitzvah), a verbal or written requirement or

order.

Religious usage of „commandment‟ may be tied to secular ones of

king & subject (2 Kings 18:36) and parent & child (Jer. 35:14)

Often appears in conjunction with torah and laws

(Gen. 26:5; Exo. 24:12; Deut. 6:1)

The people are enjoined to „keep‟ (lit. „guard‟) the

commandments (Lev. 26:3

Harper‟s Bible Dictionary, 1985, p.176

1. Sabbath keeping is a

COMMANDMENT not a suggestion

A. Biblical Definition of COMMANDMENT:

Far from being burdensome (1 John 5:3) , the commandments

are the psalmist‟s delight (Ps. 119:47, 143) and love (Ps.

119:127)

God calls those who observe His commandments as “those who

love Me” (Exod. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; John 14:15; 1 John 5:2)

Harper‟s Bible Dictionary, 1985, p.176

1. Sabbath keeping is a

COMMANDMENT not a suggestion

B. Sabbath commandment in the Old and New

Testament

OT – Exodus 20:8-10 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all

your work, 10but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you

shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor

your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is

in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day

and hallowed it.

NT – Luke 23:56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the

Sabbath according to the commandment.

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

A. Sabbath was a Creation Institution

B. Jesus and His disciples kept the Sabbath

C. Never a controversy during the apostolic times

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

A. Sabbath was a Creation Institution

God blessed it, sanctified it and rested on it (Gen. 2:1-3)

We should emulate God as we are made in His image

(Gen. 1:27)

The 4th commandment traced the Sabbath all the way back

to creation. It begins by saying “Remember” (Exodus

20:18-11)

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

A. Sabbath was a Creation Institution

Mark 2:27 - 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was

made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Greek translation:

“made” = ginomai – alludes to the original making of the Sabbath

“man” = anthropos – suggests its human function.

Thus to establish the human and universal value of the

Sabbath, Christ reverts to its origin, right after the

creation of man.

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

B. Jesus and His disciples kept the Sabbath

Matthew 5:17-19. 17“Do not think that I came to destroy the

Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,

one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all

is fulfilled. 19Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of

these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called

least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches

them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Sabbath was not nullified but clarified by Christ‟s teaching

and saving ministry

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

B. Jesus and His disciples kept the Sabbath

Luke 4:16 – So He came to Nazareth, where He had been

brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the

synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

Jesus did not foresee the discontinuity of Sabbath

Keeping.

Matthew 24:20 – “And pray that your flight may not be

in winter or on the Sabbath.”

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

B. Jesus and His disciples kept the Sabbath

Paul emphasized the keeping of the commandments.

1 Corinthians 7:19 - Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision

is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what

matters.

Acts 17:2-4 - 2Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them,

and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the

Scriptures, 3explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had

to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus

whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4And some of them were

persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not

a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

B. Jesus and His disciples kept the Sabbath

Acts 21: 20-26 – shows Paul participating in a purification rite suffices to

discredit any attempt to attribute to him the responsibility for the

abrogation of the Sabbath and the introduction of Sunday observance.

Luke 23:54-5654 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55

And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and

they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned

and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath

according to the commandment.

2. Sabbath-keeping was

NOT abrogated

C. Never a controversy during the apostolic times

Acts 15:28-29 - 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

Acts 21:20 - 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;

Acts 21:21 - 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise theirchildren nor to walk according to the customs.

3. Saved Christians are OBEDIENT

commandment keepers

Revelation 14:12

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those

who keep the commandments of God and the faith

of Jesus.

Revelation 12:17

17 And the dragon was enraged with the

woman, and he went to make war with the rest

of her offspring, who keep the commandments

of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3. Saved Christians are OBEDIENT

commandment keepers

John 14:15

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Romans 3:31

31 Do we then make void the law through

faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we

establish the law.

Recapitulation

1. Sabbath Keeping is a COMMANDMENT not

a SUGGESTION

2. Sabbath-keeping was NOT ABROGATED

3. Saved Christians are

OBEDIENT/COMMANDMENT KEEPERS

Conclusion

Sabbath keeping is a Christian

OBLIGATION because it is still a

valid COMMANDMENT and

saved Christians are called to be

OBEDIENT to God.