Sabbath Sunday and the New Covenant

Is the Sabbath still required to be kept in the New Covenant? And has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday?

In this article, we’ll explore what the Bible says about the Sabbath and the New Covenant.

If we want to know the truth, we must go to the Word of God, our best teacher.

Table of Contents

Is the Sabbath Still Required for Christians?

Yes, the Sabbath is still required for Christians to keep because it was never abolished.

When Jesus died on the cross, the laws that were done away with were the ceremonial laws.

These laws were a foreshadow of Christ and His sacrifice, and once He came on this Earth and fulfilled His mission, their purpose ended.

There is no longer a need for them.

But it is different with the Ten Commandments. These are the moral laws which are in Exodus 20.

They are mandatory and eternal.

Does the New Testament change the Sabbath to Sunday?

The New Testament does not change the Sabbath to Sunday.

The Sabbath in the Bible is on the seventh day of the week or Saturday. (Exodus 20:8-11)

The Sabbath never changed. God made the seventh day holy, blessed it and sanctified it. (Genesis 2:2-3)

Jesus kept the Sabbath, and the apostles as well. (Luke 4:16, Acts 13:42,44, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4)

Sunday is not a holy day, the Bible does not support this teaching.

Do we keep the Sabbath under the new covenant?

First off, what is the New and the Old Covenant?

A covenant is an agreement. The Old Covenant was based upon the agreement of the people.

The people said, “we will do”.

And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
Exodus 19:8 KJV

The people of Israel promised they would keep the Law of God. but they could not and broke the Law, and the covenant.

Then after they break the covenant, God said “I will do it…”

Hebrews 8:8,10 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
KJV Bible

It is the same Law, written in a different place, in the heart.

So, the New Covenant is still based on the Law of God, the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20.

And because the Sabbath is the fourth commandment, we need to keep it also, along with the other nine.

Whoever tells you that the Sabbath is no longer mandatory in the New Covenant, he must be referring to the sabbaths of the ceremonial laws.

But the Sabbath of the seventh day of the week, the fourth commandment is still mandatory today as it always was.

What does the Bible say about keeping the Sabbath in the New Testament?

The Bible says that we need to keep the Sabbath in the New Testament.

We find Jesus keeping the Sabbath, and the apostles too. (Luke 4:16, Acts 13:42,44, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4)

Not only that, but Jesus said the following about the Law:

Matthew 5:17-19 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
KJV Bible

Conclusion

As we have learned, the Sabbath is still mandatory as it always was for Christians.

The Sabbath never changed to Sunday as many believe. There is not a single verse in the Bible supporting this teaching.

Jesus did not abolish the Sabbath, nor change it, but came to fulfil it. The apostles followed His example as well.

The Old Covenant was based on the people of Israel, who being confident in their words and actions told Moses that they would keep the Laws of God.

However, they broke the Covenant and the Laws of God, and then the Lord intervened and said that this time, He would write His Laws in their minds and hearts.

This New Covenant is still based on the Ten Commandments, nothing has changed regarding the Law.

The only laws that are not mandatory today are the ceremonial laws.

There might be confusion with the sabbaths and the Sabbath day.

Do know that the sabbaths are different from the Sabbath day of the fourth commandment.

May God help us to be faithful to Him, and continually ask Him in prayer to change our hearts, to make us love His commandments, and to obey His Word.

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExDdYhavX0 – Q&A What is the old covenant and why it failed?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC20tkREzF8 – Does the New Covenant Abolish God’s Law? The TRUTH Will SURPRISE You!

My Letter To A Sunday Keeper – Sabbath Documentary