Keeping the Sabbath in the New Testament?

Article #11 on Church History

Oldtimers used to preach against sabbath-breakers with holy indignation as if they were speaking to adulterers and murderers. Afterall, it is the violation of the 4th Commandment, which states: “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” (Ex. 20:8). Modern people listen to these preachers and marvel at their boldness! Whole sermons were dedicated to the Sabbath. Is there something we are missing? Or were they being too legalistic? 

“There remaineth therefore a sabbatismos to the people of God.” – Heb. 4:9 

The debate can be settled with one verse. The Greek word, sabbatismos (G4520), only appears one time in the New Testament. There is a sabbatismos that we are supposed to keep in the New Testament! However, this is referring to sabbatic devotion to God on resurrection Sunday, the 1st Day of the Week, according to the precedent set in the New Testament (John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2, Rev. 1:10). We are not talking about the yoke of bondage, as if the Ceremonial Law in the Old Testament is mandated for Christians in the New Testament (Gal. 5:1). God forbid. Nevertheless, we need to beware lest we commit a horrible sin and thus become sabbatismos-breakers. Such language is incomprehensible without a basic understanding of the Sabbath in the Old Testament. 

A Believer's Relationship to the Sabbaths in the Old Testament

The Sabbaths were precious to God and essential to Judaism. Do you know why? Keeping the Sabbath often required the Jews to congregate before the Levites and Priests for preaching and teaching. Therefore, Sabbath days and holy weeks could be better understood in modern times as Church services. 

Offering Sacrifices was an Occasion that Required Teaching & Instruction

The Levites and Priests worked on Sabbaths while everyone else depended upon their services. They were consecrated to God and played key roles in the operations of the Temple. Besides the daily sacrifices, the Levites were in charge of the sabbatical sacrifices as the Law required for each holy day and week. Therefore, the Jewish people were forced to appear before the Levites and Priests when they offered sacrifices or participated in other necessary ceremonies. Again, this provided ample opportunity for teaching and instruction (Hos. 6:6). 

“They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy Law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.” – Deut. 33:10 

God chose the Levites because they feared God and proved faithful to the divine word when it mattered the most (Ex. 32:25-29, Deut. 33:8-11). Therefore, it was the duty of the Levites and Priests to teach the people. When the Jews came to offer sacrifices for an atonement because they desired to be forgiven of their sins before the LORD, the Priests and Levites would then closely examine the people to see if they had a biblical repentance (Lk. 3:8, 2 Cor. 7:10-11). Why? Because they knew that the sacrifices of the wicked were an abomination to the LORD (Prov. 15:8, 21:27). They would not dare to officiate a ceremony before the LORD while the people that were participating were treating it like a heartless ritual (Isa. 1:11-15). 

Sabbath Days, Holy Weeks, & Feast Days were Major Occasions for Teaching & Preaching

God hated the Sabbaths if they turned into dead ritualism (Isa. 1:13). Correctly observing the Sabbath involved appearing before the LORD for the purpose of meeting with God in the Spirit of Worship (Isa. 66:23, Jn. 4:24). Being still and at rest wasn’t something superstitious and ascetic in Judaism. The people weren’t being lazy and relaxing in a spirit of hedonism. These days and hours were ordained for the people to exclusively focus on the LORD, and they fervently desired to spend their time in this way (Ex. 33:16, Ps. 48:1-3, 63:1, Prov. 2:1-6, 4:1-9, 6:21-23, Duet. 6:5-9). All true believers can understand this kind of lifestyle (Acts 2:42-47).

The Sabbaths and Feast Days were meant to be holy celebrations of worship, repentance, and personal devotion to God (Lev. 23:32, 41), but when they were observed by impenitent sinners, then they became overrun with a profane and unholy happiness (Hos. 2:11). This usually happened when the teaching ministry of the Levites and Priests was compromised (Hos. 4:6, Mal. 2:6-8; Ezek. 22:8, 26, 23:38, 44:24). The teaching ministry of the Levites and Priests enabled the people to understand how to live righteously and offer acceptable sacrifices and offerings (Lev. 10:10-11, Deut. 17:9-11, 24:8). When the Kings and Princes of Israel empowered and mobilized the Levites and Priests to fulfill their duties in the fear of God as preachers of righteousness, it was then that the Jews were visited with revival and restoration (Ezek. 44:23-24). 

“…Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests. And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.” - 2 Chron. 17:6-9

“And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.” - 2 Chron. 30:22

“And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD, And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel, And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.”  - 2 Chron. 35:2-4

Jehoshaphat desired the Kingdom of Judah to get right with God. Therefore, the King empowered and mobilized the Levites and Priests to faithfully execute their teaching ministry (2 Chron. 17:6-9). Hezekiah and Josiah did the same thing (2 Chron. 30:22, 35:2-4)! The Feasts were essentially a whole week of sabbatical days of fervent devotion. This would allow for many days of Jews congregating to hear the preaching of the word from the Levites. The impact of such meetings can be most clearly observed in the days of Hezekiah, Josiah, and Ezra, when the Jews kept the Sabbaths and Holy Days of the Passover Feast, the Feast of Trumpets, & the Feast of Tabernacles.

In good counsel with the Levites, Hezekiah guided the Jews to keep the Passover Feast for a total of 14 days (2 Chron. 30:1-31:1). Obviously, these weeks of revival preaching produced good fruit because immediately after the Feast was finished, it was written: “all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all” (2 Chron. 31:1). There must have been a lot of hellfire preaching on repentance in these glorious meetings! Absolutely. Nevertheless, the practical details of what happened during these Feasts aren’t left to speculation. 

Neh. 8:1-13 → The Feast of Trumpets
Neh. 8:14-18 → The Feast of Tabernacles
Neh. 9:1-10:39 → 2 Days after the Feast of Tabernacles

An inside look at how the Jews spent their time in fervent devotion to God was revealed in the days of Ezra. In keeping the Feast of Trumpets, the people sat under 6 hours of preaching from Ezra and a holy band of Priests and Levites (Neh. 8:3). In keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, we can be sure that the people went through the same exercise or something similar (Neh. 8:14-18). For, two days after the Feast of Tabernacles, lo and behold: the people were devoting themselves to 3 hours of preaching and 3 hours of confession and worship (Neh. 9:3). Put yourself in their shoes! Imagine being one among them in a massive congregation at the Feast of Trumpets hearing preaching from Ezra with a host of Priests and Levites standing on his right and left hand. This was a serious gathering of holy dedication to teaching the Word of God. 

“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” - Neh. 8:1-8

All things considered, it is easy to understand why the Sabbaths and Holy Days were so important to God. It’s no wonder that keeping the Sabbath is such a vital part to taking hold of the Covenant (Isa. 56:2, 4, 6, 58:13). Evidently, refusing to keep the Sabbath is like separating yourself from the Church in the New Testament. 

A Believer’s Relationship to the Church in the New Testament

Prior to Pentecost, all true believers were visibly manifest in how they organically gathered and assembled with “one accord” in prayer and supplication (Acts 1:13-14). Literally, this behavior could be seen in the affairs of the Church because “they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). After Pentecost, the same behavior was characteristically present among the new converts of Christianity: study of doctrine, fellowship, communion, & prayer (Acts 2:42-47). Emphasizing this testimony, it was written, “all that believed were together” (Acts 2:44).

The believers watched the lifestyle of the Apostles in general and tried to follow in their ways (1 Cor. 4:16-17, Php. 3:15-17, 4:9, 1 Thess. 1:6, 2:14, 4:1, 2 Cor. 2:9). Literally, the newly converted Christians observed the relationships of the Apostles in how they related to one another, and they learned to follow this good example. When the Apostles were observed to pray, the unity of heart and soul in their prayers was overwhelming to spectators because they “lifted up their voice to God with one accord” (Acts 4:24). After thousands were converted to Christ in the days to come, amazingly, they all had the same remarkable testimony: “the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul” (Acts 4:32-37).

The gatherings of the people were both organized and spontaneous. Their assemblies were planned and unplanned. Universally, the believers were recognizable because they “consorted” with each other in devotion to Jesus Christ (Acts 17:4). Whenever, wherever, and however the Christians assembled in the Early Days, whether in the Upper Room or at Solomon’s Porch, it could be said of them, “they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch” (Acts 5:12). 

Believers: Acts 1:13-14, 2:1, 42-47, 4:24, 32-37, 5:12, 17:4
Unbelievers: 1 Jn. 2:19, Jude 1:19, Heb. 10:24-26

Contrastingly, unbelievers did the exact opposite. Backsliders, unbelievers, apostates, and reprobates were visibly manifest in how they “went out” from the assemblies and gatherings of the Church. The Apostle John was very bold to say, “they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 Jn. 2:19). A bold apostolic condemnation of this behavior was warranted! Why? Because this behavior was characteristically the opposite testimony of all true believers in the Book of Acts. The adding and subtracting of souls from biblical Churches is consequential (Acts 2:47, 1 Jn. 2:19). The regenerated souls that depart from the Church must needs be degenerated to commit the unspeakable crime of forsaking the Body of Christ.

The Apostles knew these days were coming. Literally, it was unavoidable! Messianic prophecy foretold it. Therefore, the Apostles spoke of these things as the signs of the times in the Last Days (1 Jn. 2:18-19, 2 Tim. 3:1-13, 2 Thess. 2:3). The exact time that they were talking about pertains to the late 60’s AD. Judgment was looming on the horizon in 70 AD. The Epistle of Jude is an accurate representation of the situation because Jude was writing to the Churches at around 66 AD (Jude 1:17-19). Falsely converted Christians were creeping into the Church to defile it (Jude 1;3-4)! Truly converted Christians were falling away and separating from the Church, and they were making a lot of noise in the process (Jude 1:5-16)! Therefore, Jude was very bold to say, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” (Jude 1:19).

True believers are bound to Christ. Consequentially, they are also bound to the Body of Christ. A real relationship with Jesus Christ can in part be discerned through a healthy spiritual relationship with the Body of Christ (1 Jn. 1:5-7; 2 Cor. 8:5; Matt. 25:31-46). Are you your brother’s keeper? Maybe not. You need to be! Any definition of Christianity that lacks a peculiar oneness of accord in heart and soul isn’t worthy to be called Christianity – it is unbecoming to the name Christian (Php. 1:27, Eph. 4:1-6, Gal. 6:1-2). 

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”  - Php. 1:27

We are living in the Last Days! The Day of the LORD is fast approaching. Those who identify with Christ, and those who claim to be believers in Christianity, should show a due regard for “the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:24-27). This is a law of love in the Body of Christ (Jn. 13:34-34, 15:12-14). Therefore, those who forsake this means of grace will find themselves presumptuously and willingly sinning not many days hence (Heb. 10:26-27). Why? Because a daily necessity is upon us (Heb. 3:12-14, Acts 2:46). Therefore, we should not be ignorant of the consequences of our actions (1 Cor. 10:1-12).