Many Christians know they are supposed to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). But after the first sentence of the fourth commandment is quoted, something strange takes place. It reads, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God” (verses 9, 10, emphasis added).

In an article titled, “Why You Shouldn’t Forget the Sabbath: We all need to observe the Sabbath, and here is why,” the author immediately forgets what the Bible says about the seventh day.

The article begins, “The Sabbath in Christianity is a day of rest like the Jewish Sabbath.” Before going any further, let’s clarify that there is only one Sabbath in the Bible, not two. The seventh day was hallowed at Creation by God for all humanity, not just the Jews (see Genesis 2:1–3). Furthermore, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). He did not say the Sabbath was made for Jews, but for all humanity. When Christ spoke these words, He was a seventh-day Sabbath keeper.

The article continues, “Unlike Jewish tradition, held on Saturday every week, Christians started to observe this time on Sunday.” Is keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week a Jewish tradition? Not according to the Bible. The Lord established the Sabbath before there was ever a Jew. While the Jews created their own unique traditions on how to keep the Sabbath, the fourth commandment in and of itself is a moral law that is apart from any man-made tradition.

There is no change documented in the Bible about the Sabbath moving from the seventh day of the week to the first day. The transition to Sunday-keeping did not happen until long after the apostles (who kept the seventh day as Sabbath) were long gone. With a growing anti-Semitism fervor in the Roman Empire, Christians wanted to separate themselves from the Jews to avoid persecution. Then in AD 321, the Roman emperor Constantine, a former sun worshiper, professed conversion to Christianity and enacted the first civil law regarding Sunday observance.

Humans changed the day of worship, not God.

Read more about this change by clicking here. 

Let’s take to heart the encouragement by many Christians to remember the Sabbath and not forget what the Bible says about the seventh day.

Also in the News…

Billy Graham says people should use Sabbath not only to rest but to get closer to God as well. While it is true that God designated the Sabbath as a day of rest, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham says people should also be mindful on using the seventh day to bond with their Creator.