Was the Sabbath changed in the New Testament?
There is no evidence, not a single verse that proves that somehow the Sabbath was changed in the New Testament.
After the resurrection of Christ, we do not have any evidence or proof that the Sabbath was changed to a different day other than the seventh day of the week!
Jesus and the apostles were all keeping and honouring the Sabbath, as we find in many instances! (Luke 4:16), (Matthew 12:8,12), (Mark 1:21), (Acts 13:42, 44, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4).
Again, and again we find evidence in the Bible that the Sabbath was, is, and will always be on the seventh day of the week, known today as Saturday!
It was never changed by God, Jesus, or the apostles, but instead, people with bad intentions declared Sunday to be a holy day in their councils.
However, this was not done by the authority of God!
Thus, if we want to be loyal to God and His commandments, we need to follow the Bible!
And the Bible declares that the Sabbath was not changed in the New Testament!
The Sabbath will be kept for eternity by those who will be saved, by those who will receive everlasting life! (Isaiah 66:23)
Also see “Who Changed The Sabbath Day to Sunday?”
Is the Sabbath mentioned in the New Testament?
The Sabbath is mentioned many times in the New Testament.
We have many accounts of Jesus healing & preaching on the Sabbath.
Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath day
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Matthew 12:10-13 KJV
Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath day
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
Luke 13:10 -16 KJV
Jesus preaches on the Sabbath
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke 4:16 -18 KJV
Jesus “rests” on the tomb on the Sabbath
This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luke 23:52-56 KJV
As we can see from the verses above, the Sabbath was kept holy even when Jesus died.
The Sabbath commandment never changed in the New Testament!
Before Jesus ascended to His Father, after His resurrection, He never mentioned that the Sabbath was changed! Instead, He said to the disciples:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 KJV
There are also more mentions of the Sabbath in the book of Acts, by the apostles, and this was also on the seventh day, as the Bible teaches! But more on this later!
What day was the Sabbath in the New Testament?
The Sabbath in the New Testament was/is on the seventh day, known today as Saturday! The Sabbath never changed, because God does not change! (Malachi 3:6)
He wrote the Ten Commandments in stone, with His finger, and He never intended to change His commandments! (Exodus 31:18).
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, after His resurrection, the apostles went into the world to spread the Gospel, and they also kept the Sabbath on the seventh day as Jesus also did!
Act 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Act 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Act 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Act 16:13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Act 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Act 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
As we can see from the verses above, the apostles kept the Sabbath because it was never changed!
If this were so, we would have seen all over the New Testament verses with clear explanations of the Sabbath being changed, but we find none!
What does the New Testament say about the Sabbath?
The New Testament says that the Sabbath was never changed, it was made for man, and we are to do good on this holy day. (Matthew 12:12).
How many times is the Sabbath mentioned in the New Testament?
The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 60 times.
In all these 60 mentions, and 55 verses, there is not a single one authorizing the change of the Sabbath.
Therefore, the Sabbath was never changed by God!
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have discovered that the Sabbath was never changed in the New Testament! Nor by Jesus, nor by the apostles!
We have provided evidence from the Bible that Jesus kept, preached, and healed on the Sabbath day, and the apostles also honoured the Sabbath!
If it was to be changed, we should have seen this change all over the New Testament, but we are not!
Thus, the claim that the Sabbath was changed is not biblical, but instead is the act of man!
In the end, it all comes down to the same battle of truth and error, the religion of God vs the religion of man!
I choose to listen to God’s Word! If it’s not in the Bible, then it’s not for me!
What about you? Who do you choose to obey?
I hope you will make the right choice!
May God help you in your decision of choosing what’s right, listening to God’s commandments, our Creator and not man, the creation of God!
I will end this post with the following verse:
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15 KJV
My Letter To A Sunday Keeper – Sabbath Documentary
The Days of Noah – Powerful Documentary (Video Format)
Bible Studies – Written Format
