Expert: Rev. Stuart Woodward - 11/13/2009

Question
What is really the true Sabbath? I am now confused with a lot of presentation i undergone. Can you help me???

Answer
Hello Jojo,
Thank you for your question. You are not the only one to be confused over the issue of Sabbath and to be honest there is genuine disagreement amongst Christians on the issue. I will try to explain what I believe the bible teaches as I believe the bible takes supremacy over any church's tradition or practice.
Teaching begins with the ten commandments in Exodus 20. These commandments were given to the people of Israel as they began their wilderness journey to the promised land. They helped distinguish them as a people from the peoples around them.
Through the Old Testament the keeping of the Sabbath as a separate day of rest was strongly taught and kept.
When Jesus came, as a Jew amongst Jews, He kept the Sabbath but criticised the legalistic observance of it and in the minds of many religious leaders broke the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath and allowing his disciples to rub corn in their hands and eat it. It was then He said: 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.' (Mark 2)
After Jesus died, rose from the dead and returned to heaven He poured out His Spirit on the believers. This was to fulfill the prophecy in Joel 2 that promised that the law would eventually be written on our hearts (that is be known internally in our spirits) rather than on tablets of stone). Pentecost meant that from then on the true people of God were known by grace and the Holy Spirit rather than legalistic law keeping. Our personal relationship with God became central.
At first all Christians were Jews and kept the Jewish law as they had become used to. However when Gentiles (like us) became born again they had to work out to what extent they were obliged to keep the Jewish law. Acts 15 is the account of what the church decided at the time and that was that they should abstain from 'food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of sacrificed animals and from sexual immorality.' However, even this later changed when Paul made it clear in 1 Cor 8 that eating food that had been offered to idols was a matter of individual conscience.
In the context of this Gentile expression of Christianity we can read Colossians 2:16 where Paul makes it clear we are not to be judged on Sabbath keeping. Elsewhere he says that if people want to keep special days that is fine but it should not be imposed.
All this is what we know the bible teaches so what are we to do with the Sabbath?
Some choose to set the same day aside each week as a Sabbath. Most Christians call a Sunday the Sabbath though it is never called that in the New Testament. If we believe that legalistic Sabbath keeping is important then it should be from sunset Friday night to sunset Saturday night as that coincides with the Jewish Sabbath.
I believe that we are free from such requirements. However the principle of Sabbath - that is rest within the cycle of life is vital for our wellbeing. Therefore I believe we should seek to have a regular day of rest for our well being. If that can be a Sunday that is good because it brings worship and rest together but for many Sunday is not suitable as a rest day and an alternative should be found for their own wellbeing.
Sunday is the Lord's Day! It is the day of resurrection and the best time for the Church of Jesus Christ to worship.
I hope these comments are of some help and pray that God will bless you and lead you.
Stuart Woodward.