In our previous study, we learned that God instituted the Sabbath at creation. Remember, Genesis 2:3 revealed to us that “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it…” This verse also reminds us that the blessing and the sanctification upon the seventh day occurred before God called the Jews His people. This reveals to us that the seventh day was blessed and sanctified before it became a sign between God and Israel.

However, when we look at the landscape of Christianity, it’s evident that most Christians no longer believe the Sabbath is binding on the Church. So what happened from creation, when God blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week, to the present where it has become a relic of the Old Covenant? In other words, what caused the seventh day of the week to lose its blessed and sanctified status?

In order to understand what happened to the Sabbath, we must understand that the Sabbath was kept even in the New Testament.

What did Jesus do on the Sabbath?

And 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 for to read. Luke 4:16

Here we see that the Sabbath was not a day of laying around, but a day when individuals ceased their personal work and dedicated their time to God. Christ here had a practice of going into the synagogue on the Sabbath to worship God. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was also called a holy convocation or an assembly. (See Leviticus 23:3)

What did Paul do on the Sabbath?

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Acts 17:2

Here we find Paul had the same practice as Jesus—he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and read from the Scriptures. However, we should also notice that Paul didn’t just go into the sanctuary for himself. His goal was to preach Christ to the Jews and Gentiles that worshipped in the sanctuary.

Did the Gentiles observe the Sabbath assembly in New Testament times?

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Acts 18:4

It’s evident that both Jews and Gentiles worshipped together on the Sabbath even in New Testament times. This is an important distinction because it appears that initially Jews and Gentiles were one body of believers. However, today there seems to be a separation between Jews and Gentiles. Jews are believed to have one set of laws and Gentiles are believed to have another set of laws.

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 13:42

Paul, who often reminded us that the law was done away with (see Hebrews 10:1) had a good opportunity to reveal to the Gentiles that they were under a different set of rules. However, it should be evident that Paul encouraged both Jews and Gentiles to gather on the Sabbath when we read what happened next:

And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Acts 13:44

Not only was the Sabbath a day of working for God’s kingdom but it was also a day of physical rest and meditating on God’s Word:

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 16:13

Here we see that Paul didn’t only preach in synagogues on the Sabbath but he also went out in nature and spoke to others about the power of God. Again, we notice that Paul kept the sabbath by assembling with others.   

What did Jesus say we should do on the Sabbath?

How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Matthew 12:12

The Sabbath was used as a point of contention for the Pharisees who were often looking for a way to discredit the Savior. Jesus, Who was the focus of their contention, is here trying to help His accusers realize that their understanding of the Sabbath was the problem. The Jewish leaders used the law as a means to hold the people spiritually hostage, and thus the Sabbath was relegated to a long list of things you could not do on that day. Unfortunately, the day God created to be blessed and sanctified became a day of dread and fear. And this view of the Sabbath would continue on this trajectory in the coming centuries.