Christ Our Sabbath

Verse of the day: Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Today’s devotional may cause some who still observe the Sabbath, as a requirement, to cringe. There has been much debate as to whether or not we who are born again should still be observing the Sabbath. In order to answer that in our own minds we must first answer this question, “Was the command to keep the Sabbath part of the moral law or ceremonial law?” The answer is a simple one. The Sabbath was kept as part of ceremonial law. In Isaiah 1:10-20, God differentiated between ceremonial and moral law. He expressed His displeasure and desire not to receive their useless ceremonies if they were going to continue being morally corrupt. In verse 13 of Isaiah 1, the Lord clearly says to Israel, “Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.” We see that even in the Old Testament the Lord rejects their practice of keeping the Sabbath, if they refuse to be clean morally. In verses 16 and 17 the Lord states, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Not once did God tell them to observe some ceremonial practice in order to be right with Him. God is not interested in our religious, ceremonial, practices. Galatians 3:21-29, and 4:21-31 explain the difference between being under the Law and being in Christ. The conclusion in both instances is that in Christ we are free of the Law; the ceremonial law and moral law, as the moral law is fulfilled in this: Galatians 5:14 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, the Law is completely encompassed by, and fulfilled completely in, Christ’s death and resurrection. If we, as Christians, want to live in accordance to God’s commandments, let us live according to those that Jesus gave us in Mark 12:30-31, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The bottom line is that if a Christian wants to observe the Sabbath, the choice is completely theirs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting a day aside for rest; a day that we set aside to spend time in prayer, fasting, studying the Word of God, and meditating on God’s goodness. However, it is not a requirement that has been placed on us by Jesus, or the Word of God, as born again believers. If one of us has a conviction about keeping the Sabbath, that conviction should not be forced on another; and those of us who do not observe it should not judge those who choose to practice it as a means to draw closer to the Lord personally. To quench the argument or debate about my last statement, I will say this: Colossians 2:16-17 reads, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” The bottom line is that true rest is found only in Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus is our Sabbath every day, even in the midst of the busiest of days. He has given us rest from the Law, and rest from trying to work our way into God’s favor. Our salvation is by grace and there is no aspect of keeping the Law that will increase our salvation or give us greater favor with God. All the favor we have with the Father is because we are in the Son.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).