Are Christians supposed to keep the 7th day Sabbath or is it only for the Jews?

Answer 1

There are those in mainstream Christianity that will believe that the change of the original 7th day Sabbath - Friday sunset to Saturday sunset - was change to recognize and honor the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on a Sunday. These then worship on the 1st day of the week - Sunday.

However, there are those in the fundamental/evangelical Christian branches that still recognize the Sabbath rest of the Genesis account - the 4th Command of God. Also,Messianic Jews, also follow this day of worship and rest.

Moreover, it is important to realize that the weekly day of rest to remember God as Creator, does not belong to any one group of people. It is God's Sabbath and it is for all mankind - first to the Israelites then to all:

Exodus 20:9-11

New International Version (NIV)

9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

11 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.

Jesus and the Apostles, indeed early Christianity until officially changed in the 4th Century AD by men, continued the 'Sabbath-rest' as God's people:

Hebrews 4:9-10

New International Version (NIV)

9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

It would do us all well to remember that Jesus said that He, as the Son of Man is 'Lord of the Sabbath' (see Luke 6:5).

Jewish answer:

According to Jewish belief, non-Jews are not commanded to keep any day as Sabbath.

The mitzvot (commands) of the Torah may be divided into three categories:

1) Those mitzvot that are obligatory only for Jews. This category includes the majority of the mitzvot of the Torah.

2) Those mitzvot that are obligatory upon non-Jews as well as Jews. This category includes seven commands: a] not to eat from an animal which is still alive; b] not to curse God; c] not to steal; d] to maintain courts of law; e] not to commit adultery or incest; f] not to worship idols; and g] not to murder.

3) There are certain mitzvot which are not explicitly commanded for non-Jews but which non-Jews are nonetheless expected to learn from and adopt. This category includes such examples as a] going in the ways of God (Deuteronomy 28:9); b] giving charity (Leviticus 25:35); c] learning from the lessons of history (Deuteronomy 32:7); d] not to ignore reproof (Deuteronomy 10:16); e] not to mindlessly follow mass behavior (Exodus 23:2); and many more.

4) There are some things that are the universal tradition of mankind, so much so that the Torah doesn't command them at all, and considers them as being self-understood. This includes burying the dead, not eating human flesh, belief in the afterlife, and more.