Q: Is the Sabbath an Old Testament law?
A: Some believe the Sabbath is only an Old Testament law. However, it was blessed and made holy since creation, before any laws were given. God established the Sabbath for our salvation and set it apart from other days.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
The Sabbath, which was established at the creation, was codified in the time of Moses. God explained in detail about the Sabbath when declaring the Ten Commandments.
“‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God ... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.’”
The Sabbath was kept in the Old Testament according to the Law of Moses, but it was also observed during the time of Jesus. Christ proclaimed that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Mt 5:17). The difference between the Old Testament Sabbath and the New Testament Sabbath is the way to worship. In the Old Testament, it required animal sacrifices, while in the New Testament, Jesus taught us to worship in spirit and truth.
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read ...”
The apostles, too, kept the Sabbath day even after Jesus’ crucifixion (Ac 17:2–3). For Christians living today, the New Covenant Sabbath must also be kept, following the example of Christ (Mt 24:20–21).
