What Is the Biblical Sabbath, and Why Do Many Christians Worship on Sunday Instead?
The seventh-day Sabbath, established at creation and reinforced in the Ten Commandments, has remained a sacred day of rest and worship throughout history. Despite widespread shifts to Sunday observance, faithful believers have upheld the biblical Sabbath from Christ’s time to the present day.
The institution of the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath as a weekly day of rest and worship goes all the way back to creation week in Genesis 2:1-3. God set the example for humankind by resting on that specific day. Indeed, the Creator "blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." The word sanctify means "to set apart for a holy use and purpose."
When God led Israel out of Egyptian captivity, He again instructed them about the need to observe the Sabbath day (Exodus 16:23-30). Later, God incorporated His instructions to keep the Sabbath day holy as one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). Kept from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, observant Jews still honor this same day as God's Sabbath.
During Jesus' earthly ministry, He set an example of Sabbath keeping (Luke 4:16). And after Christ's death, resurrection and ascension to His Father, the early first-century Church continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath (Acts 13:14, Acts 13:42, Acts 13:44; Acts 16:13; Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4).
In the centuries that followed, however, a satanic apostasy gripped the church and only a relative few remained faithful to apostolic teaching and doctrine (please see the chapter on "The Rise of Counterfeit Christianity" in our free Bible Study Aid booklet The Church Jesus Built).
The seventh-day Sabbath was one of the first doctrines that fell under attack, along with many of Christ's other teachings. Those who propagated these false doctrines began to observe the first day of the week, Sunday (the day commonly used to honor the sun god in the Roman Empire), as the official day of rest.
That practice soon became almost universal among professing Christians and remains so today. But scattered groups of believers have continued to observe God's true Sabbath through the centuries.
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Find Out More... The Sabbath: Saturday or Sunday
Was the Biblical Sabbath Changed to Sunday?
History and the Bible show that the biblical Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. But most of today’s churches gather to worship on Sunday, the first day of the week. How was this changed and why? Does God accept this change?
Surprising Admissions About the Sabbath and Sunday
Leaders and authorities from many religious denominations candidly acknowledge that Saturday is the biblical Sabbath day and that there is no biblical basis for Sunday observance.
Which Day is the Sabbath According to the Bible?
Which day is the Christian Sabbath? Since most churches observe Sunday as their day of rest and worship, many people assume that Sunday is the Sabbath. Is it? And how do Christians observe the biblical Sabbath day?
Was Sunday the New Testament Day of Worship?
Nowhere in the New Testament does it show the day of rest - the Sabbath - being moved to Sunday.
Was the Sabbath Changed in the New Testament?
The Gospels reveal that Jesus observed the Sabbath day and showed the true purpose and intent of the Sabbath commandment.
What Did the Early Church Believe and Practice?
Shouldn't you look into your Bible to see if your beliefs and practices square with what Jesus Christ and the apostles practiced and taught?
The Fourth Commandment: Key to a Relationship With Our Creator
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." The Fourth Commandment, to remember the Sabbath, concludes the section of the Commandments that specifically helps define a proper relationship with God—how we are to love, worship and relate to Him. It explains why and when we need to take special time to draw closer to our Creator on the seventh day.
