Observing the Sabbath as an Act of Worship
Observing the Sabbath as an Act of Worship: A Contested Topic
The observance of the Sabbath is a longstanding practice in the Judeo-Christian tradition, rooted in biblical commands to "remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" [3]. However, the specifics of how to observe this day have been a subject of debate among Christian traditions.
The disagreement centers on whether the Sabbath commandment is still binding on Christians, and if so, how it should be observed. Some traditions argue that the Sabbath is an enduring institution, instituted by God at creation and therefore applicable to all people [4]. Others contend that the Sabbath was specifically given to the Israelites and has been superseded by the Christian observance of the Lord's Day.
One position, represented by some Reformed and Presbyterian traditions, holds that the Sabbath commandment remains binding on Christians, albeit with some modifications. According to this view, the Sabbath is a day of rest and worship, and its observance is a means of honoring God and sanctifying the believer [6]. Charles Hodge, one theologian, argues that the Sabbath has been observed "in unbroken succession" since creation, and that this continuity provides a strong argument for its perpetual obligation [6].
In contrast, some Baptist and Reformed traditions interpret the Sabbath commandment as having been fulfilled in Christ, and therefore no longer binding on Christians. John Gill, one theologian, suggests that the Sabbath was a "shadow" of the true rest that is found in Christ, and that Christians are now free to observe the Lord's Day as a day of worship and rest [7].
The Eastern Orthodox tradition offers a distinct perspective, emphasizing the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship, but also as a prefiguring of the eschatological rest that is to come. John Chrysostom, an Eastern Orthodox theologian, notes that the Sabbath was given to humanity as a day of rest, and that its observance is a means of cultivating spiritual discipline and devotion [5].
Despite these differences, all positions agree that the concept of Sabbath rest is deeply rooted in Scripture. The biblical account of creation establishes the Sabbath as a day of rest, on which God "rested from all his work" [2]. The commandment to observe the Sabbath is reiterated throughout the Hebrew Bible, with Deuteronomy 5:12 and Exodus 20:8-11 providing key texts [1, 3].
The hermeneutical commitments and historical contexts of different traditions drive their divergent views on Sabbath observance. For example, some traditions emphasize the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, while others stress the discontinuity between the two covenants. The historical context of the early Christian church, which observed the Lord's Day on Sunday, also influences the development of Sabbath observance in different traditions.
Sources
- Deuteronomy “Deuteronomy 5:12 (BSB) — Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Sabbath — (shabbath), "a day of rest," from shabath "to cease to do to," "to rest"). The name is applied to divers great festivals, but principally and usually to the seventh day of the week, the strict observance of which is enforced not merely in the general Mosaic code, but in the Decalogue itself. The consecration of the Sabbath was coeval with the creation. The first scriptural notice of it, though it is not mentioned by name, is to be found in (Genesis 2:3) at the close of the record of the six-days creation. There are not wanting indirect evidences of its obser”
- Exodus “Exodus 20:8 (BSB) — Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Sabbath, The — Instituted by God -- Ge 2:3. Grounds of its institution -- Ge 2:2,3; Ex 20:11. The seventh day observed as -- Ex 20:9-11. Made for man -- Mr 2:27. God Blessed. -- Ge 2:3; Ex 20:11. Sanctified. -- Ge 2:3; Ex 31:15. Hallowed. -- Ex 20:11. Commanded, to be kept. -- Le 19:3,30. Commanded to be sanctified. -- Ex 20:8. Will have his goodness commemorated in the observance of. -- De 5:15. Shows favour in appointing. -- Ne 9:14. Shows considerate kindness in appointing. -- Ex 23:12. A sign of the covenant -- Ex 31:13,17. A type of the heavenly rest -- Heb 4:4,”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:11 1:11 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:27 1:27 1:27 1:31 1:31 2:2 2:7 2:17 2:17 2:18 2:23 2:24 2:24 2:24 3:5 3:16 3:24 4 4:9 4:14 6:2 6:3 6:4 6:9 6:12 7:7 8:21 12:1 12:4 12:16 13:10 13:10-11 14:14 14:21-23 15:16 16:5 16:6 17:8 18:11 18:12 18:14 18:21 19:13 19:14 19:24 21:10 21:12 21:12 22:7-8 22:16 22:18 22:18 24:1-67 24:22 24:65 25:21 25:21 26:4 27:46 28:1 28:13 31:42 31:45 32:48 35:18 37:9-10 37:20 39:1 39:6 40:4 40:7 40:8 40:14-15 40:22 41 41:16 42:36 43:14 43:30 45:5 48:15-16 49:9 64:28 Exodus 2:11 2”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 46: of the week as the day for religious worship. Thus from the creation, in unbroken succession, the people of God have, in obedience to the original command, devoted one clay in seven to the worship of the only living and true God. It is hard to conceive of a stronger argument than this for the perpetual obligation of the Sabbath as a divine institution. It is not worth while to stop to answer the objection, that the record of this uninterrupted observance of the Sabbath is incomplete. History does not record everything. We find the fountai”
- Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 58:13: If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,.... From walking and working on that day; or withdrawest thy mind and affections from all worldly things; the affections being that to the mind as the feet are to the body, which carry it here and there. The time of worship, under the Gospel dispensation, is here expressed in Old Testament language, as the service of it usually is in prophetic writings; though its proper name is the Lord's day, Rev 1:10, and is here instanced in, and put for all religious institutions and services to be attended unto, and which will be wit”