This question has divided opinion even amongst reformed evangelicals and the differences go back to the early days of the Reformation. Whilst there seems to have been a particularly “pro-Sabbatarian amongst the Puritans, reflected in the Westminster Confession, a more continental approach tended towards the view that the Sabbath pointed forwards to our eternal rest with God. Sabbatarians operated on the understanding that the Sabbath had been transferred to Sunday as the Lord’s Day whereas the opposing view was that the Lord’s Day was something distinct and not to be confused with the now redundant Sabbath. Those historical positions are worth reading to help us think through our own position in the company of the historical church,
In favour of Sabbath observance is the fact that Jesus insisted that he had come to fulfil, not to abolish the Law. In other words, we are still subject to its commands. Sometimes theologians have distinguished three types of law, Moral, Civil and Ceremonial. The civil or cultural laws were those that specifically marked out Israel as a nation whereas the ceremonial ones focused on rituals and sacrifices. Those rituals were fulfilled in Christ’s once for all sacrifice. This means that the commands that apply today are the moral ones found primarily in the Ten Commandments. From that perspective, you might expect the Sabbath Day to function as part of the moral law, whilst some have argued that it forms part of the ceremonial law, a ritual that is fulfilled by something bigger, it would seem strange to find it sitting alone in the Ten Commandments as abrogated whilst the others continue. Of course, there is a greater and deeper meaning but that is true of all the commandments as seen in Jesus’ “You have heard it said ….but I say…” pattern in the Sermon on the Mount.
I’m not completely convinced that setting boundaries between laws in that kind of way works and fits a holistic Jewish way of thinking. I think we do better to think of the Law functioning in concentric circles, Deuteronomy 5 talks about obeying God’s Command (singular). We start with the command to love God with our whole heart which is expanded on first in the second command to love your neighbour and then in the Ten Commandments as we learn how to love him and these in turn are fleshed out in the case law of Deuteronomy. However, this still means that we see fulfilment in Christ as he both perfectly obeys the Law and provides the sacrifice for our disobedience.
Yet, that the Law is fulfilled in Christ does not mean that we are free to ignore it. The point is that the command is good, it describes what we are made for and Jesus, using the specific example of the Sabbath in Luke 6 shows that the law is for our good “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” We might then say, “So why would you not want to keep the Sabbath if it is for your good?”
What then about Colossians 2:16-17 says
“16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Does this mean that the Sabbath has been abolished, that we are no longer required to keep Sabbath days? It is interesting that the reference here is not just to “Sabbaths” but to a broader category of festivals and special seasons (new moons), a category found in the later books of the Old Testament (see particularly Chronicles and Ezekiel). Does that mean that the focus isn’t so much on the weekly sabbath?
The crucial thing here though is context. There is a reason why the Colossians were not to allow themselves to be judged. In v8, Paul warns against being taken “captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition.” It would be strange for Paul to refer to the Law as “human tradition”, so something different is likely to be going on. Paul’s concern is less with whether or not the Law is good and to be kept and more to do with specific heresies circulating in the church at that time. It seems that there was a focus in Colosse on ascetics and a belief that keeping to strict rituals and commands, even those originating from Judaism including the food laws were the means by which you were saved.
In 2:15, Paul reminds us that the written code was nailed to the cross, this has disarmed principalities and powers who were able to use it to condemn us. In other words, we are no longer condemned, no longer judged by the Law making it clear that this is not the basis for our righteousness. The question is not about whether we should keep commands, it is about whether or not we should judge others or allow ourselves to be judged by how we go about keeping commands, especially when that boils down to people’s opinions and interpretations of what observance looks like.
So, I would argue that the Sabbath Law has not been abolished. This is because its purpose is to help us know how to love God and our neighbour. We love God by choosing to honour and keep holy our rest, so that this ceasing from work is not just about a break but is about worship and delighting in Him. We love our neighbour by enabling them to rest, just as the commandment required.
Now, this can be challenging because we have a tendency to need detail. We like to have parameters, explanations and exceptions and that is how the Scribes came unstuck adding and adding regulations to the command. It’s worth noting that whilst there was an instance where a man was condemned for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, it wasn’t that he had breached a detailed regulation, in fact because no such regulation existed, at first the people did not know what to do. Moses response incidentally was not to create a list of permitted and prohibited Sabbath Day events. The problem with the man was what he had very clearly chosen to focus on his daily work, away from God’s people, he was distracted from rest and worship.[1] Indeed, we can see that picking up sticks might be a breach of the Sabbath whereas picking grain, picking up your mat or picking up your donkey from the ditch might not be. The issue was not to do with the weight of the thing picked up, nor would it be the distance walked but rather to do with where your heart was.
This then is a good test for us. Are we enjoying God and glorifying him? Are we loving him and our neighbour or are there things that distract us from being with the Lord and his people?
[1] Numbers 15:32-36.
Faithroots 