The Sabbath Versus Sunday

Should we rest on Saturday or Sunday or is every day the same?

Let’s begin in the Old Testament.

Since God finished all of his work of creation in six days then rested on the seventh day (the Sabbath), the seventh day is set apart from the other days of the week and this has implications for humans. One of the Ten Commandments says, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:9-10). Orthodox Jews continue to observe the Sabbath by refraining from work beginning at sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. This includes not driving in a car or even turning off a light switch. It’s important to note, however, that the biblical text doesn’t minutely define what constitutes work as the rabbis did. 

Jesus frequently got into trouble with the religious authorities for doing “work” on the Sabbath, including healing the sick (ex. John 5, 9). During one of these controversies, Jesus explained, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). This means the commandment to rest is intended to be a blessing for humanity not a burden. Jesus performed good work on the Sabbath such as healing the sick and he even allowed his disciples to pick heads of grain, which the Pharisees said was unlawful (Mark 2:23-28).

The first Christians were Jews so they would have continued to observe the Sabbath even after Jesus rose from the dead.  However, probably due to Christ’s resurrection on the first day of the week, they began gathering together on Sundays (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2) or the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10). Hence, if they were not excommunicated from the synagogue, first-century Jewish Christians probably continued going to the synagogue on the Sabbath and observing a Sabbath rest while also gathering with fellow Christians on Sundays, either early in the morning or late in the evening because Sunday was a regular workday. In AD 321 the Roman emperor Constantine declared Sunday an official day of rest. By this time, most Christians were Gentiles so they had no tradition of observing the Sabbath, making Sunday the only day of rest and worship for the majority of Christians.

While the Sabbath is essential in the Old Testament, in the New Testament the reality of Christ moves it into the shadows: “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. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). The Sabbath rest points us toward heaven (Hebrews 4), where we will rest from our labor (Revelation 14:13) and ultimately, it points us to Christ who said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  

So are we obligated to refrain from work one day of the week? Remember the “Sabbath was made for man.” Resting should be viewed as a blessing not a chore. It’s in your best interest not to work seven days a week. By work I am referring to what you do for a living. It’s not healthy to be a workaholic. For most people in the modern Western world, though, we actually have two days a week where we don’t work—Saturday and Sunday. So, in that case, aren’t we automatically getting more than the required amount of rest? Maybe. Some people work on their side hustle on the weekends so even with two days off, they actually end up working seven days a week. Many of us need to hear this: Take a day off each week, including refraining from your side hustle.

Should the day of rest be Saturday or Sunday? There’s no biblical text that states the Sabbath has moved from Saturday to Sunday so this topic has been controversial. It’s also complicated because two concepts are often intertwined: a weekly rest and a weekly gathering for worship. Remember the commandment only mentions rest not corporate worship. How did these two concepts merge? The connection was probably due to the ancient Jewish custom of gathering in a local synagogue on the Sabbath to hear God’s word. 

A minority of Christians, such as Seventh-day Adventists, believe we should continue observing the Sabbath on Saturday. The majority view Sunday as the day of rest, or, at least, a day to gather with other believers. Practically speaking, it makes sense for most Christians to continue gathering on Sunday because there’s already a strong tradition of doing so. Who will you gather with on Saturday? But aside from practicalities which day is more important? Which is the day of rest? Paul teaches that we must respect the views of others in this matter, allowing them freedom of conscience: “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord” (Rom 14:5-6a). It’s okay to have a personal view on this topic, and to even be “fully convinced” in our own mind, but we don’t have to force our view on everyone else. 

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a Bible and theology teacher in Asia and the U.S. My new book explores the amazing doctrine of the Trinity.