Drink from The Well

Don’t you find it interesting that most people, religious or not, have a sense of right and wrong? This moral recognition is something that cannot be subjective, as some may argue, but rather objective. In fact, all reasonable people will agree that lying, stealing, murder and the like, are all wrong. The question now becomes, where does this moral compass that we are all born with come from? The Bible makes it clear that God, the Creator, has given us all consciences. Romans 2:14-15 is the most explicit biblical reference to a universal human conscience. It says that even those of us, who do not have the law of Moses (written access), instinctively do the things of the Law. We show that the work of the Law is written in our hearts, and our consciences bear witness, and they either accuse or defend us based on our actions. The Ten Commandments are basically a summary of this. Many people have heard of the Ten Commandments. They may not fully understand or even care to live by them, but they are aware of them. There are ten laws in the Jewish scriptures (Torah) that God gave to the nation of Israel shortly after their exodus from Egypt. They essentially summarize the 613 commandments contained in the Mosaic Law. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God; The last six with our relationships with one another.

As mentioned earlier, God created us all with a conscience, a kind of default setting so we can naturally know right from wrong. We know that lying, stealing, and even being angry or disrespectful are all wrong. Yet, we are all guilty of these charges. In reality, the Ten Commandments were part of a covenant God made between Himself and the children of Israel—not all nations. However, we see today that many nations have patterned their civic code after these commandments. In fact, they are universally accepted almost everywhere in the world. But what if I told you that Christians are not required to keep the ten commandments to be right with God? Would you be outraged by that? Now for any legalists out there, please hear me out. But most importantly, check your Bibles well to make sure I am not making this up.

Although there are many things I can focus on about these Laws, this post will mainly focus on Sabbath law keeping (I might address the others in a different post). My argument for now is that according to the New Testament, we are no longer obligated to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath (as a sign) was part of the Mosaic covenant between God and Israel— not for us gentiles. For Christians, one of the main purposes of Jesus coming into the world was to satisfy the demands of the law perfectly. He was the only qualified candidate as no other human was capable. In doing so, he fulfilled the old covenant and established a new one for all who would trust in him. This frees us from trying to earn salvation by carefully keeping the law. Rather, we can now receive Jesus’ righteousness through his finished work on our behalf—solely by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-10). We are now free from the law. And like fruit that naturally grows from a healthy tree, good works will flow naturally from a believer who is united to Christ by faith. As children of God, the law now enlightens us to what is pleasing to our Father, whom we seek to serve. We come to delight in the law as God Himself delights in it. This is the highest function of the law: to serve as a guide for His people (Ps. 119:105). With the aim that whatever they do, God might receive the glory (1 Cor. 10:31). 

So, in your life, what role does the law play? Do you find yourself constantly disappointed for not being able to keep it? This is burdensome, but praise God for sending Jesus to free us from this (Gal. 5:1). Trust him and accept the rest he offers (Matt. 11:28-30).

When it comes to religious worship days and observance, there are some who argue that Christians should keep the Sabbath. Their main contention is that remembering the Sabbath was part of the 10 Commandments. And since we still have to keep the other 9, then we are obligated to keep all 10. Proponents of Sabbath-keeping also argue that there are two parts to the law given by Moses—ceremonial and moral—and that Christ nailed the ceremonial law to the cross, not the moral law. Well, the New Testament does not make that distinction. Focusing on just the Sabbath for this post, here are five reasons why Christians don’t have to keep the law (specifically the Sabbath), according to scripture:

1. Christ did away with the law of Moses: He did away with the law, “by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14). Nobody can be justified, or made right with God, by the law (Rom. 3:20). The law is what shows us our sin and leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:19, 24).

2. Christians are dead to the law of Moses: Christians follow the law of Christ. But, what did the law of Moses include? Some say it wasn’t the 10 Commandments but the commandments about sacrifices, offerings, and the like. However, notice what James says: “For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:11). The law that said not to commit murder or adultery is the 10 Commandments (Ex. 20:13-14). The law was also the other instructions given by Moses to the children of Israel (1 Cor. 9:9). That’s the law that we are dead to.

3. We are free from the old law: Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath. In fact, the Bible is clear that if you seek to keep one part of the law, then you have to keep it all (Rom. 2:23; Gal. 3:10). I don’t think any of today’s Sabbath keepers are also slaughtering bulls, calves, and goats for blood offerings and sacrifices to God. Why try to pull out one part to keep and not keep it all? Anyone who tries to be justified by keeping the law has fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4). In addition, Paul explicitly states to the church in Colossae that nobody should try to make others follow the sabbaths, festival days, or the eating of certain foods (Col. 2:16). We shouldn’t subject ourselves to regulations that Christ hasn’t stated. This is the making of self-imposed religion, and there is no real value in it (Col. 2:20-23).

4. We now find rest in Christ Jesus: The Sabbath, along with other aspects of the Old Covenant law, is often viewed as a shadow pointing toward the fulfillment found in Christ. Some interpret this to mean that the specific day of rest is no longer as important as the rest found in Christ. In fact, the initial Sabbath that God instituted was intended for resting from works (Heb. 4:4). Now, there remains a rest for God’s people—the rest from sin that Christ offers (Heb. 4:8-11). He has reconciled us to the Father, and he himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14-16).

So, we see from the New Testament that Christians do not have to keep the Sabbath. However, they are free to incorporate the principle in their lives as they see fit. But, someone might ask, “So I don’t have to keep the Ten Commandments anymore? Isn’t it still a sin to murder, to have idols, to steal, etc.? My response to the first question would be, “It depends.” We are only to obey those commandments that are repeated in the New Testament to believers (which is only nine now). My response to the second question would be, “I agree with you.” When we say yes to Christ’s offer of salvation, our orientation towards sin changes. The Holy Spirit in us will convict us when we sin. We no longer desire to do these things out of love for Christ. And when we do stumble, we have an advocate who intercedes on our behalf (1 Jn. 2:1). When we study scripture, we come to see that the New Testament repeats all of the 10 Commandments for us to follow, except for the 4th one: remember the Sabbath. Since we are now under the law of Christ, we are encouraged not to steal, murder, covet, or do any of the other things that Christ has commanded us not to do. Refer to the chart above to see where all of the commandments that were given to Moses at Mount Sinai are repeated in the New Testament—with the exception of Sabbath-keeping (that’s why that section is blank on the chart).

5. Christians worship on the first day of the week: Originally, the Sabbath was not Sunday but Saturday (the last day of the week). But after Christ’s resurrection on the first day of the week (Sunday), it became known as the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10). Today, Christians worship God collectively on Sunday as the church of the New Testament did (Acts 20:7). Many Christians observe Sunday as the Lord’s Day rather than the Sabbath. This practice is not seen as a replacement for the Sabbath but as a day for gathering and worship.

So, friends, are you still seeking to follow the law as a means of being right with God? This is a futile endeavor as we can only be made right with God through our faith in Christ and not by law-keeping. By all means, faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:26). But a genuine faith in Jesus will eventually result in action. Namely, the confessing of His name to others (Matt. 10:32), the repenting of our sins (Acts 2:38), the desire to do His will (Phil. 2:13), and so on.

We see that scripture is clear on this matter of law-keeping. Christians are free in Christ to choose whether or not to observe the Sabbath. While some find it meaningful to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and reflection, it is not considered a requirement for salvation or a practice that is universally mandated. Rather, scripture emphasizes that salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ, not through adherence to specific laws or rituals—including the observance of the Sabbath. The emphasis is on grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-10), nothing else. Praise the Lord that we are no longer bound by the law! So, Christian, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” – Colossians 2:16-17

All Sufficient Merit by TWI (feat. Bethany Barnard)