Today, believers are permitted to observe but are not commanded to observe the Sabbath.
The one thing God has opened my eyes to in researching the claims by some who say Christians are to observe the Saturday Sabbath today is that we have so much freedom in Christ. We are free to celebrate the LORD’s Feasts, feasts that weren’t given to Israel at Sinai (Hanukah or Purim), and Christmas or Easter. Aside from annual holidays or holy days, we can also choose to worship on Saturday, Sunday, or any other day of the week, as Paul teaches to the believers in Rome and Colossae.
In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. (Romans 14:5-6, NLT)
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. (Colossians 1:16, NLT)
Whatever day we choose to rest, focus on our relationship with the Lord, and connect with family is acceptable as long as we do so in a way and with a heart that honors Christ. In the past, when another believer asked me if they could celebrate the feasts, I was hesitant to give a nod of approval, but after delving into Scripture, I’d say to the next person who asked that they are free to keep the feast of the LORD if they’d like. I’d give the same signal of approval to someone who is convinced in his or her heart based upon Scripture to keep the Saturday Sabbath instead of Sunday (Romans 14:23).
While our brothers and sisters in Christ can observe the LORD’s feasts and keep a Saturday Sabbath, we who gather on Sunday to worship our risen Lord are also permitted to do so according to the above passages (and Scripture as a whole). However, some genuinely believe Scripture teaches that Christians today are commanded to keep the Sabbath on Saturday and, by not doing so, are living in sin and lawlessness.
While Torahism does not have a monolithic statement of faith, four reasons are commonly given for all Christ’s followers to obey the fourth commandment today.
Common Reasons given for support for Sabbath-keeping today
There are four common arguments used by our Hebrew Roots or Torah Observant friends in support of Sabbath-keeping today. Together, these four arguments form the foundation of what, at first glance, appears to be a strong and convincing case. They are as follows:
(1) The Sabbath was established as part of God’s original creation design.
So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. (Genesis 2:1-3, NLT)
The seventh day was blessed and set apart by God during creation—long before the Law of Moses was given. Because of this, Torahism sees the Sabbath (Shabbat) as a creation ordinance, something God instituted from the very beginning, much like the ordinance of marriage.
(2) A seventh-day Sabbath observance is one of the Ten Commandments.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. (Exodus 20:8-11, NLT)
Since the Sabbath is included in the Ten Commandments, observants of Torahism argue that it remains eternal and binding for Christians today, even under the New Covenant. Their position is that the Sabbath should be observed just like the other nine commandments—such as those against idolatry, murder, and adultery—which are still considered valid by all believers. They contend that we shouldn’t selectively choose to uphold only nine out of ten commandments, and I agree that we cannot cherry-pick what commands we want to keep or discard.
(3) The New Testament doesn’t teach that Sabbath-keeping ends or changes.
The third argument for keeping the Sabbath is that the New Testament never abolishes or changes it. There’s no indication that Shabbat was replaced with Sunday, nor does the New Testament teach that the Sabbath is no longer valid or has ended. This leads to the fourth argument: Jesus, His disciples, and early followers consistently observed the Sabbath.
(4) Jesus, His disciples, and early followers observed the Sabbath.
Our Torah-observant friends point out that Christians continued to observe the Sabbath after Jesus’ resurrection and the beginning of the New Covenant. While the New Testament shows the early church gathering and worshiping on the first day of the week, Sunday worship never replaced the Sabbath—it was practiced alongside it. Sabbath-keeping remained a part of early church life well into its development.
Conclusion
The reasons above are the basic case the Hebrew Roots movement and other Torah-keeping friends make for Sabbath-keeping today. And to be fair, they raise some strong points. Their view is shared by groups like Seventh-Day Adventists and Seventh-Day Baptists. As I mentioned earlier, if someone’s personal convictions lead them to observe Shabbat, then they should keep it to keep from sinning! I may not agree with all their conclusions from Scripture, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with a Christian choosing to honor the Saturday Sabbath.
Up Next
The problem isn’t Sabbath observance itself. If our Hebrew Roots and Torah-keeping friends kept Shabbat and lived in peace with their fellow believers, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Unfortunately, many—though certainly not all—go beyond personal conviction. They begin judging, accusing, and even condemning Christians who don’t observe Shabbat. They label Christians who do not observe the Sabbath as lawless, sinful, and rebellious, insisting that Sabbath-keeping isn’t just a personal choice but a binding command for every follower of Jesus. And that’s where their teaching drifts from Scripture and becomes dangerous.
With this in mind, the next post will examine the four pillars of the Hebrew Roots case for Sabbath-keeping in more detail and see if they are as formidable as they seem at first glance.
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