Where in the New Testament does it say to keep the sabbath day holy?

Answer 1

== == Luke:23:50-5;24:1-7:

50: And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:

51: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.

52: This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.

53: 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.

54: And that day was the preparation(Good Friday), and the sabbath(Saturday) drew on.

55: And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

56: And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

1: Now upon the first day(Easter Sunday) of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

2: And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

3: And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

4: And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

6: He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

7: Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

But wasn't it changed after the resurrection to Sunday?

There are no scriptures that suggest any such thing.In fact, Jesus predicted the Sabbath would be in effect long after his departure.

Mt:24:20: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

So there are no changes to the Sabbath day?

Mt:5:18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Lk:16:17: And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

In fact, many years after Jesus ascension the disciples still kept the Sabbath.

Acts:13:27: For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

Isn't the Sabbath for Jewish people only?

NO.

Mk:2:27: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

It was established at creation,when there was as of yet no such tribal distinctions.

Gen:2:2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Gen:2:3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

In fact, many newly converted Gentile believers kept the Sabbath.

Acts: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.

Acts:13:44: And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God

Acts:18:4: And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

But what about that verse that says the following:

Colossians:2:16:

16: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Read the next verse.

17: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come!?

Gen:2:2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Gen:2:3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Again, the seventh day Sabbath was made at Creation, before sin entered the world,which means it couldn't be a shadow, or type, of Christ to come(like sacrifices)because it was introduced before sin.All the types,symbols,and shadows of the coming lamb of God were introduced later because of sin.

So to what Sabbaths is the verse referring?

There were many yearly,and other Sabbaths introduced later.

Lev:23:24: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

Lev:23:39: Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

Lev:25:4: But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

All of these Sabbaths were introduced later and were figures or types of the things to come.

Does it really matter which day is the Sabbath?I mean as long as I show up one day a week that fine--right?

Jn:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jn:14:21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

1Jn:3:4: Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

What about that verse in Romans:14:5-6:

5: One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

6: He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

We must be careful not to twist Paul's writing to suit our own whims like Peter warns:

2Pt:3:16: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Paul is clearly talking about judging one other(just read a little further down and it becomes evident)

Rom:14:4: Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Rom:14:10: But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Rom:14:13: Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

In conclusion,let us rest from our study with this thought--if God wanted to change a commandment that he personally wrote on the tables of stone,that He and his disciples(Jewish and Gentile) kept,and that He said would be kept in heaven(see verses below)wouldn't He have made a direct command for such a change? Why wouldn't He leave clear words saying:"I changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day."Why would he repeat several times that the commandments would not change.

Mt:5:18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." Isaiah 66:22, 23.

In the end, wouldn't you want to do what Jesus did?

Lk:4:16: 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.

Quite simply, it doesn't. Historically Christians worshiped on Sunday, as this was the day when Christ arose. This may also have been a decision to distinguish themselves from Judaism. The commandment to worship on the sabbath is the only one of the ten commandments which is not restated in some way or other in the New Testament. Answer Worshipping God on the Sabbath is mandatory for ALL people who love God. This Law was not only for the Israelites but also for non-Israelites. Please note that of the Ten Commandments the 4th Law is the ONLY law that speaks of the foreigner. (Exodus 20:8-11). Isn't it ironic that the Sabbath Law is this the one Law the foreigner chooses to disobey? As regards finding scriptures in the New Testament telling us to go to Church on the Sabbath... God did not tell us to go to Church, Man did. God told us to obey his Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17). The Church is a Christian institution created by men to mislead, control and to rob its followers. Contrary to popular belief Jesus did not mention the Church, nor did he mention Paul, the man who has so much to say in the New Testament. What Jesus did speak of were two commandments which covered the Ten Commandments of God, perfectly. The first and greatest command Jesus spoke of covers the first three Laws of the Ten Commandments... "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). The second command spoken by Jesus covers the last 7 Laws of the Ten Commandments... "Love your neighbour as yourself." (Mark 12:31). Worshipping God on the Seventh Day is clearly included in Jesus' words and therefore not to be brushed aside as being absent.

Answer 2

Keeping the sabbath holy actually has its origins in the Old Testament rather than the new. For example, in Deuteronomy we read

Take care to keep holy the sabbath day as the LORD, your God, commanded you. Six days you may labor and do all your work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then, whether by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or ass or any of your beasts, or the alien who lives with you. Your male and female slave should rest as you do. For remember that you too were once slaves in Egypt, and the LORD, your God, brought you from there with his strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you to observe the sabbath day. Dt 5:12-15 NAB

See also Ex 20:8-11. The New Testament does, however, provide evidence that the earliest Christian communities gathered on Sundays, the first day of the week, for sacramental worship and catechetical instruction; e.g. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day; and he prolonged his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7 RSV 2CE

We also have extra-biblical testimony from early Christian documents and writers which indicate the importance of keeping the Lord's Day (Sunday) holy. A few examples are given below:

Didache, c. 50 A.D.

Assemble on the Lord's Day, and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make confession of your faults, so that your sacrifice may be pure. (Didache 14)

Letter of Barnabas, c. 75 A.D.

Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day [Sunday] with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead. (Letter of Barnabas 15)

St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110 A.D.

Therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the posession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in observance of the Lord's Day, on which our life has sprung up again by him and by his death. [cf. Col 2:16-17] (Letter to the Magnesians 9)

St. Justin Martyr, c. 151 A.D.

Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. (First Apology 67)

REFERENCES

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, RSV 2CE. (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, CA, 2010).

The New American Bible. (Catholic World Press: Grand Rapids, MI, 1991).

Akin, Jimmy. The Fathers Know Best - Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church. (Catholic Answers: San Diego, CA, 2010).