The Christian Sabbath: Divine Rest in Jesus Christ

By J. Michael Feazell

Are Christians required to keep the seventh-day Sabbath? No. Mike Feazell explains that the Sabbath was a temporary law, designed (like various other old covenant laws) to point to Christ. Now that he has come, we do not need the pointer when we have the real thing. Just as the old covenant days reminded the Israelites of their salvation from Egypt, new covenant worship reminds us of Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grace Communion International
• Release date: Jan 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301843732

Book preview

The Christian Sabbath:

Divine Rest in Jesus Christ

By J. Michael Feazell

Copyright 2013 Grace Communion International

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com 

The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Cover photo by Jerry Segraves. Public Domain. From Wikimedia Commons.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackbird-sunset-03.jpg

Table of Contents

The Law and the Promise

The Law and the Spirit

Entering God’s Rest

The Object of Worship

New Wineskins: Celebrating Salvation in Christ

Obeying God

About the author

About the publisher

Grace Communion Seminary

Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

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The Law and the Promise

Some churches teach that Christians ought to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. The basis of this conviction is usually the belief that the Ten Commandments are binding on Christians. Simply put, if the Ten Commandments are in force, then the Sabbath commandment is in force, and the Sabbath commandment is clear about the seventh day being the Sabbath.

Ironically, many Protestants have never given a second thought to whether the Ten Commandments, as a body of law, are binding on Christians. They simply assume it to be true. It is not uncommon for Protestants to display the Ten Commandments on plaques on their walls or have their children memorize them.

The idea that the Ten Commandments, written on tables of stone with the finger of God, might not be binding on Christians would be considered scandalous. Yet, when it comes to the fourth commandment, these same Christians must find a way around the commandment, a way to change the commanded seventh day to the first day.

Day never changed

There have been a couple of fairly popular ways of explaining the supposed day change. One is to interpret the commandment as referring to one day in seven, not necessarily any particular day. Another is to say that the New Testament changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day.

Yet neither of these popular explanations holds water. The commandment is quite specific about the seventh day; the idea of merely one in seven simply is not there (see Exodus 20:10). And the Bible never even hints at changing the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. Various people meet on the first day of the week, but it is never said to be a day of rest.

Surprising truth

We know that the law is holy, righteous and good (Romans 7:12), and we know that the Ten Commandments reflect the holy love of God. Yet, surprisingly for many Christians, the Bible teaches that the Ten Commandments have been superseded by something far more glorious—something that God planned from the very beginning would one day outshine completely the law he gave to Israel.

The law (the Torah), the whole law, including the Ten Commandments, was given to Israel, for a specific period of time—the time from their encounter with God on Sinai until the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Once Jesus came, a new law came in—the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2; 1 John 3:21-24). It was a new covenant relationship, or arrangement, between God and humans, and it was not restricted to the Israelites. It was a covenant with all people.

When this new deal came in, the old deal expired. From then on, the invitation to God’s kingdom was open to everybody, not just to one people. The first deal, or covenant, was a preparation, a setting of the stage you might say, for the real deal—the new covenant in the blood of Christ.

The first covenant was designed to be for Israel (Galatians 3:23-25), and it was temporary, until just the right moment came. Then God’s plan for drawing humans into his kingdom went into high gear, and his own Son came to be one of us.

All according to plan

The Sinai covenant, standing as it does between the promise to Abraham and the coming of Christ, was never intended to last forever. It was, rather, a vital phase in God’s plan of fulfilling his promise to Abraham and to all who, like Abraham, believe his word (Galatians 3:7-9). In it, as in every covenant he has made with humans,² is the bright reflection of God’s character and love for his people—but the climax was yet to come.

When Jesus Christ arrived, according to God’s promise and in God’s due time (Galatians 4:4-5), humans were confronted with infinitely more than the reflection. They were confronted with the actual character and heart of God in the person of his own Son (Hebrews 1:1-3) and invited to enter his kingdom by putting their faith in him! The Ten Commandments were given to Israel; Jesus Christ was given to the whole world.

The Sinai covenant was intended to shape the faith of the people of God until Messiah (Christ) would come. Then, with his arrival, the Sinai covenant faded (2 Corinthians 3:7-11), just as God had planned from the beginning, and the new covenant (Matthew 26:28) in the blood of Christ began. The time had come for those who would accept and believe the gospel to come under a new administration of the will of God, the administration of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-17). From then on, by putting their confidence in Jesus Christ, God’s people would be made righteous by God himself. God would forgive them and change their hearts (Hebrews 8:7-13).

Covenant with Israel

Many people are surprised to find that the Ten Commandments were given to Israel, and not to the rest of the world. It is just commonly assumed among many Christians that the Big Ten were designed for all humans and especially for Christians. But the Bible is very plain about who are the recipients of the Sinai law.

Reviews for The Christian Sabbath

[Olawoyin Toluwase · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

the book is just too comprehensive, thanks for this book guys, I'll take it to some of my guys