Two Views of Sabbath

Over the past few years, I’ve heard from many ministry training sessions, conferences, and sermons that it’s essential for church leaders to sabbath. And what most of the speakers mean by “sabbath” is to take the better part of a whole day off to do absolutely nothing related to work or ministry. I’ve also heard from peers on how seriously they take this teaching. Some of my pastor friends won’t even reply to a text message if it’s their sabbath day of rest. Some pastors take it as far as to say that we live in disobedience if we do not rest in this way.

What’s interesting is that I never heard this kind of teaching about sabbath during my 11 years in Asia. Asian Christians might be guilty of having an under-developed theology of sabbath, perhaps, given the typical Asian work ethic and willingness to embrace (or simply live with) suffering. But they and many other Christians around the world still find ways to remain healthy and fruitful. They find ways to remain connected to and strengthened by the Lord, despite not necessarily taking a strict day of rest. Thus, the contrast between the “American” and “non-American” views (for lack of better terms) of sabbath have become all too apparent to me, having spent a good amount of time in both worlds.

“Every time I hear sabbath taught as an actual full day of rest, it’s always connected to two things: a commitment to family, and a commitment to a literal interpretation of sabbath rest.”

I understand where the American position comes from. Every time I hear sabbath taught as an actual full day of rest, it’s always connected to two things: a commitment to family, and a commitment to a literal interpretation of sabbath rest. I applaud pastors who put their marriages and family above ministry. That’s not easy to do; it takes a lot of discipline and planning to make that happen. It shows that they have clear priorities and that they have their houses in order. And, overall, I agree that it’s a healthy habit to have.

But all this leads to what I think is the most pertinent question of all: is the American view of sabbath the only possible biblical view? Is there room for other views on how Christians should sabbath? Should sabbath even be a category in Christian thinking at all, or has it been done away with in the new covenant?

Two Views of Sabbath

Both the American and non-American views of sabbath have biblical support. On the American side, there’s Genesis 1, which shows us how God rested after six days of creation. If resting was that important to God—who doesn’t even need rest—it must be important to us as well. There’s also the Fourth Commandment in Ex. 20:8-11, which commands Israel to do no work to commemorate God’s resting from His work of creation.

One non-scriptural argument in favor of taking a whole day of rest is that, in the Christian faith, all spiritual realities are lived out visibly and practically. God adopted us spiritually, which is why Christians support physical adoption. God freed us from spiritual bondage, which is why Christians fight against human trafficking, to free those in physical bondage. In the same way, our resting physically one day a week nicely mirrors the spiritual reality of God’s act of resting.

However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that most of the passages that support the American view of sabbath come from the Old Testament. It also becomes apparent that most of what the New Testament says seems to go against the American view. Consider the following:

• Jesus Himself often did ministry rather than rest on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 13:10-17; John 5:1-18)

• The Apostles went to synagogues on the Sabbath (Saturday) never to fellowship, worship, or rest, but only to evangelize and convict the lost (unbelieving Jews), which to them was work and ministry

• After Paul says, “From now on, I will go to the Gentiles” in Acts 18:6, Sabbath observance by Christians is never mentioned again in the New Testament

• Explicit teachings on the Sabbath in Paul’s epistles seem to directly negate the importance and relevance of the Sabbath for Christians (Rom. 14:5-6; Gal. 4:9-10; Col. 2:14-17)

• Heb. 4:8-11 redefines the Sabbath as resting from the works of the law and as our final eternal rest in heaven

Given the disproportionate weight of evidence for the “non-American” side, I cannot see how the practice of taking an entire day off from rest can be biblically defended. It may be a good idea. It may be healthy for some people. But it cannot be said to be a biblical practice nor a universal expectation for all Christians.

In fact, it could be argued that the American practice of spending a whole day in extreme rest—to the point of avoiding even emails and text messages—has more in common with current Orthodox Jewish Sabbath practices (such as limiting oneself to taking 1,200 steps outdoors or avoiding the use of scissors) than it does with Jesus. It seems to be a step backward, not forward. As Paul writes in Gal. 4:9-10,

But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.

Jesus did not always observe the Sabbath. And given the challenging and even treacherous circumstances in which Paul and the other Apostles conducted their ministries, it’s doubtful that they did either. If the great figures of the New Testament did not practice a strict day of rest in their stressful lives, why should we?

Conclusion

In the end, we must remember what Jesus said, that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). The New Testament gives us a new paradigm for rest, and it’s not to rest like the ancient Israelites. Our rest is found in Christ alone. Because of the work He accomplished on the cross, we can rest from the works of the law in the peace that Christ has established between us and the Father.

Therefore, we have the freedom to physically and mentally rest as we choose. If some want to take a whole day to rest, so be it. Let them do it unto the Lord. But if some choose to rest at a different pace, on a different schedule, in a different way, so be it as well. Let them do it freely, unto the Lord. That is what Christian liberty looks like.