In this short series on the Sabbath, we have seen that Sunday is not the Sabbath, that the early church did meet on Sunday, and that the church can meet any day of the week. The final issue before us today is whether or not Christians should observe the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is a Perpetual Covenant

There are some Christian groups that do observe the Sabbath with varying degrees. And remember, we’re not talking about Sunday, since Sunday is not the Sabbath. We are talking about observing the Sabbath on Sunday by refraining for work, or performing other Sabbath-day functions. The two main groups that do this are the Seventh Day Adventists and Messianic Jews. Both groups argue that since Exodus 31:13-17 refers to the Sabbath as a perpetual covenant to be practiced throughout all generations, that we should still be observing it today.

What people often fail to note is that the Sabbath is a perpetual sign of the Mosaic Covenant. It is not a sign for all people everywhere throughout time. It is only for those who commit to living under the Mosaic Covenant. As followers of Jesus, we live under the New Covenant, and so the signs of the Mosaic Covenant are not required of us.

So if you don’t want to observe the Sabbath, you don’t have to. It is not required of you.

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Previously, I summarized how Christians began to meet on Sunday, rather than on the Sabbath (Saturday) as had been the custom of Jesus and His disciples. Today I want to address the question of which day Christians should meet to worship God, and tomorrow, whether or not Christians should observe the Sabbath.

So what is the biblical day for Christians to gather and worship? The answer is that there isn’t one. There is no set day for Christians to gather together to worship God. There are three reasons for this.

Every Day is the Same

Although many Christians believe that Sunday morning is the “set time” for Christian worship, this cannot be defended from Scripture. Sunday morning is simply a tradition. It is not a command. Some in the early church were arguing about the proper day to gather, and Paul responded by saying, “let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or… Sabbaths” (Col 2:16).

In Christ, every day is the same. In Christ, it does no matter if one group wants to meet on Sunday morning at 11:00 am, and a different group decides to meet on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. Both are acceptable.
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I will always wonder if Harold Abrahams knew that Eric Liddel could have run on Sunday, and just decided not to tell him, because he knew he couldn’t beat Liddel.

Do you know what I’m talking about?

In the 1924 Olympics, the two fastest runners in the world were both from Great Britain: Eric Liddel and Harold Abrahams. Their story is masterfully told in the 1981 Movie, Chariots of Fire. If you have seen the movie, you know that of the two, Liddel was faster, but at the 1924 Olympics, Liddel opted out of running in a 100-meter heat for which he was scheduled, because it was held on a Sunday. Being a Christian, Liddel thought he could not compete in the race on Sunday, because the Bible teaches that we should not work on the Sabbath.

Harold Abrahams was Jewish, and must have certainly known that Liddel had his days confused, and so I wonder if he chose not to tell Liddel that Saturday was actually the Sabbath because then Abrahams could win the 100-meter dash, as in fact he did.

Today, many Christians continue to think that they cannot work on Sunday because it is the Sabbath. I spoke to someone just last week who believed this.

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