"Fulfilled" Does Not Mean Abolished The Sabbath Remains

Many Christians today assume that the Sabbath, the seventh-day of the week [Saturday] was abolished or changed under the New Covenant. Sunday worship has become common, largely based on the claim that Christ rose on Sunday, a tradition taught by Rome. However, I have already proven in a recent blog post that this reasoning is false (see my breakdown of the crucifixion timeline https://www.rebuildspirit.com/post/sunday-worship-is-lawlessness-honouring-man-over-god). In reality, neither Jesus nor the apostles ever taught that the resurrection changed the Sabbath. Yet many still assume that Christ’s coming somehow rendered the old Sabbath command obsolete, but as we will see, Scripture says otherwise.

Ceremonial Laws Fulfilled vs. Moral Law Standing Firm

Under the Old Covenant, God gave Israel various laws. The ceremonial laws (such as animal sacrifices, temple rituals, dietary laws, and circumcision) pointed forward to Christ’s sacrifice and work; these were shadows of things to come (cf. Colossians 2:16–17). When Jesus died and rose, these ceremonial requirements were fulfilled and no longer required for worship – for example, Christians are not bound to offer animal sacrifices or avoid certain foods (see Acts 10:9–16). Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances that were against us; referring to the man-made decrees and the sacrificial system that pointed forward to His atoning work; but He did not abolish God’s appointed feast days or His calendar, which remain part of His instructions for His people throughout their generations.

We must rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and carefully examine what was truly abolished; and what still remains holy.

Ephesians 2:15 tells us that Christ:"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" 

Notice: it was not God’s moral law that was abolished, but the enmity ; the law of commandments contained in ordinances. The Greek word for ordinances here is δόγμα (dogma), meaning decrees or man-made regulations; not the eternal moral law of God (the 10 Commandments), and not God's own appointed feasts (which are His moedim, His set times; not man’s ordinances).

Colossians 2:14-17 says:"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;""And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.""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:""Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."

Again, the word ordinances is δόγμα; man’s decrees, not God’s commandments. The “handwriting of ordinances” refers to the record of sin and the added ceremonial laws that were “against us”; not the Sabbath or the Feasts themselves, which are God’s feasts, not man’s.

Paul does not say the Feasts or Sabbath were abolished; he says do not let men judge you about them, because they point to Christ (are a shadow) but are still “of Christ” (the body is of Christ). The Greek here clearly supports this:"but the body is of Christ" ; meaning these appointed times still belong to Christ and point to Him.

Now let us remember what Leviticus 23 says about the feasts:

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,""Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts." (Leviticus 23:1-2, KJV)"These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons." (Leviticus 23:4, KJV)

These are the feasts of the LORD; not “Jewish feasts”; and nowhere in Scripture does it say they were abolished or replaced with pagan festivals.

In fact, prophecy tells us they will be kept in the coming Kingdom.

Zechariah 14:16-19 prophesies:"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.""And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.""And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen (pagan) that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.""This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles." 

Clearly, in the millennial reign of Christ, the nations will still keep the Feast of Tabernacles. If the feasts were abolished, this would make no sense. Instead, it shows that God’s appointed times are forever relevant; past, present, and future.

Even Jesus Himself pointed to future observance of the Feasts:

Matthew 26:29 (spoken at Passover):"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." 

This clearly shows that even in the Kingdom, the Feast of Passover: not the man-made traditions of “Easter” with pagan symbols like eggs and chicks; will be observed with the Messiah Himself. Once again, it is not abolished, but fulfilled in Him and enriched with its true meaning.

And what of the Sabbath?

Genesis 2:2-3 says:"And on the seventh day [Saturday] God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.""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." 

The Sabbath was blessed and sanctified at creation; long before Sinai, long before any Levitical law. It was made for man, as Jesus Himself said:

Mark 2:27-28"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:""Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." 

The Sabbath is made for mankind; not just for Jews; and Jesus is still Lord of the Sabbath. He never said He abolished it. In fact, as Hebrews 4:9 tells us:

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Hebrews 4:9, KJV)

The Greek word for "rest" here is σαββατισμός (sabbatismos); meaning literally “Sabbath-keeping”. The Sabbath remains; not abolished.

As it is written:"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:12, KJV)

Furthermore, God’s moral law reflects His own holy character and thus can never change. This moral law was epitomized in the Ten Commandments, which were written by God’s finger and spoken by His voice. As one commentary notes, the Ten Commandments (summarizing God’s moral requirements) are still “written on [human] hearts” and “still commanded” under the New Covenant. We would never claim that the commandments against murder, adultery, or idolatry have somehow expired; and it is utter inconsistency to suggest that the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” no longer applies. The Roman Catholic Church may have attempted to change the wording to “remember the Lord’s day,” but no such change exists in Scripture. Jesus’ death did not suddenly make it righteous to steal, to lie, or to worship idols; and in exactly the same way, it did not and could not nullify the sanctity of the Sabbath day, which God Himself made holy from the beginning.

The New Testament shows that Christ removed the ceremonial shadows that pointed to Him, but He upheld the deeper intent of God’s moral law. In Christ, Jews and Gentiles can now worship together freely without sacrifices or temple rituals, but they worship the same God who gave the Ten Commandments as a lasting covenant.

To illustrate: under the New Covenant, circumcision (a ceremonial sign given to Abraham’s descendants) is no longer required of God’s people (see Galatians 5:6, Acts 15:28–29). Likewise, the old dietary distinctions were set aside; “now they could eat anything with anyone” as former barriers were removed in Christ. But none of this meant that God’s standards of morality were relaxed. On the contrary, the New Testament reinforces moral commandments (Romans 13:8–10, for example, repeats several of the Ten Commandments as ongoing duties). It is in this context that the Sabbath stands: unlike temporary ceremonial ordinances, the Sabbath is part of the eternal moral law. It was written on stone by God, placed in the ark of the covenant, and meant for all humanity as we shall see (Genesis 2:3, Mark 2:27).

1 Kings 8:9 (KJV):

"There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt."

Jesus Fulfilled the Law – He Didn’t Abolish It (Matthew 5:17–18)

Many have misunderstood the words of Jesus in Matthew 5, thinking that He came to abolish the law of God, including the Sabbath or the feast days. But this is not what Jesus taught. He said plainly:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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." (Matthew 5:17-18, KJV)

The word translated “fulfil” in verse 17 is the Greek word plēroō (πληρόω), meaning to fill up, to make full, to bring to fullness or completion; not to abolish or do away with. Jesus Himself makes this clear when He says, "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law"; that is, not even the smallest letter or stroke of the pen; "till heaven and earth pass." Since heaven and earth still remain, Jesus taught that the law still stands in full authority.

What then was fulfilled? Not the abolition of the law, but the fullness of its meaning in Christ. The sacrifices and ceremonial shadows pointed to Him, and He fulfilled them through His perfect sacrifice. But the moral law of God; including the Sabbath; was never called a shadow and was not abolished. It remains a reflection of God’s own holy character. Likewise, God’s feast days, which He calls “My feasts” (Leviticus 23:2), were given as appointed times and prophetic memorials, and Scripture shows they will still be honoured in the coming Kingdom (Zechariah 14:16-19).

In fact, Paul warns against letting anyone judge believers "in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days," because these are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ; meaning the reality belongs to Christ, not that the Sabbath or feasts were abolished.

The book of Hebrews reinforces this truth:"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Hebrews 4:9, KJV)The Greek word for "rest" here is sabbatismos (σαββατισμός), which literally means Sabbath-keeping. The Sabbath remains; it was never abolished..

What was abolished were man’s ordinances, the sacrificial system, and the barriers between Jew and Gentile; not God’s commandments or His appointed times.

The Sabbath and the feasts remain because they are rooted in God’s Word, not in man’s tradition. Heaven and earth have not passed away, and neither has one jot or tittle of God’s law.

Far from abolishing God’s law, Jesus “goes out of His way to promote the authority of the Law of God”. He expressly denied that His mission was to “abrogate the Word” or render it void. In fact, Christ immediately warned that anyone who “breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so” would be least in God’s kingdom (Matthew 5:19). Clearly, our Lord Jesus upheld the ongoing validity of God’s commandments.

Jesus said He did not come to “destroy” the law; so He wouldn’t then say, “I came to destroy it by fulfilling it.” In context, “fulfill” means “to fill up, to fully live out” the true meaning of the law, to meet its demands.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, ‘fulfill,’ when applied to a law, means ‘to answer its demands by obedience.’ It means the opposite of destroy. Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s law and fulfilled the messianic prophecies of the Law and Prophets. But nothing in “fulfill” implies canceling God’s commands; rather, it shows Jesus affirming them by His life.

Indeed, those who make [the] argument [that fulfilling equals abolishing] would have Christ teach that; He came not to destroy the law but to destroy the law. That doesn’t make sense, does it?

Some argue that Jesus abolished the commandments, yet His own words teach the opposite. When a man asked Him, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16), Jesus answered plainly:"Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." 

(Matthew 19:17, KJV)

When the man asked which commandments, Jesus listed several from the Ten Commandments:"Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 19:18–19, KJV)

*Notice: Jesus did not say the commandments were abolished, nor did He suggest that the moral law was no longer binding. On the contrary, He pointed the man directly to obedience to God’s law as the way of life for those who follow Him. Just as the commandments against murder, theft, and adultery remain in force, so too does the fourth commandment: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8, KJV). To claim otherwise is to contradict the clear teaching of Jesus Himself.

We also see Jesus by His example honouring the Sabbath (though not the Pharisees’ human traditions added to it). The Gospel of Luke notes, “He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day” (Luke 4:16, NKJV). Our Lord kept the Sabbath and said God’s Law would not pass away as long as heaven and earth remain; and the last time I checked, heaven and earth are still here! Thus, Jesus fulfilled the law in the sense of perfectly obeying it and bringing out its full meaning, not nullifying it. The Sabbath, being a core part of that law, was upheld by Christ’s teaching and example.

If the Sabbath command had been abolished or changed after Jesus’ resurrection, we would expect to find the New Testament church abandoning seventh-day worship or explicitly teaching that a new day had been established. Yet we find no such teaching. Instead, the book of Acts shows that the apostles and early Christians continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath regularly, and Sabbath observance remained a normal and natural part of Christian life.

In Acts 13:42–44, we see a clear example in Antioch of Pisidia. Paul preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and when the Gentiles heard his message, they begged him to preach “these words” to them “the next Sabbath.” What is striking is that Paul agreed. A week later, “almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God” on the next Sabbath (Acts 13:44). If Sabbath observance had been abolished or was no longer expected of Gentile converts, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Paul to tell them, “We can meet tomorrow, on Sunday, instead.” But he did not. He waited and met with them again on the Sabbath [Saturday]. As many have observed, had Sabbath-keeping no longer been God’s expectation for Gentiles, Paul could have simply told them to gather on any other day. The fact that both Jews and Gentiles gathered again on the seventh day speaks volumes. The Sabbath was still the day set apart for worship and for teaching God’s Word, even among Gentile believers.

Later, in Thessalonica, the pattern continued. Acts 17:2 records: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures” . This was not a temporary practice or accommodation to the Jews; it was Paul’s consistent custom. The Sabbath remained his regular day for gathering to teach and preach. Even after years of ministry among Gentiles, Paul had not adopted a new weekly holy day. He still met in the synagogue or other gathering places on the Sabbath to proclaim Christ.

Acts 18:4 also confirms this pattern, stating that Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Once again, we see both Jews and Gentiles worshipping together on the Sabbath ; not on a new day, and not in abandonment of the command to remember the seventh day.

Even in places where there was no synagogue, Paul continued to honour the Sabbath. In Philippi, a city with very few Jews and no synagogue, Paul still observed the Sabbath. Acts 16:13 says, “And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither”. Here, Paul and his companions sought a place of prayer on the Sabbath and engaged in worship and evangelism. There is no hint in the text that the Sabbath was treated as ordinary or that weekly worship had been shifted to a different day.

Nowhere in the book of Acts do we see the apostles teaching that the Sabbath was abolished or replaced. Rather, Sabbath observance is presented as a normal and ongoing practice among both Jewish and Gentile believers. When the Jerusalem Council met in Acts 15 to discuss what should be required of Gentile converts, they did not abolish the Sabbath. Instead, they chose not to burden new believers with extra rituals beyond a few necessary abstentions (Acts 15:19–21). James, in summarizing the council’s conclusion, stated: “For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day” (Acts 15:21, KJV). This implies that Gentile Christians would naturally hear God’s laws; including the Sabbath; taught each Sabbath as they gathered with other believers.

The New Testament presents a church that continued to keep “the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, KJV). There is no record of any apostle declaring that the fourth commandment had been abolished, no teaching that the seventh-day Sabbath had been replaced with Sunday. On the contrary, the consistent testimony of Scripture is that the apostles and early Christians honoured the Sabbath; just as God commanded, and just as they will continue to do in the days leading up to Christ’s return.

Given this clear biblical record, it becomes evident that the apostles never taught a change of the Sabbath, nor did the early church abandon the seventh day. The shift from Sabbath to Sunday was not grounded in Scripture, but came later, through the influence of Roman tradition. In fact, it was the Roman Church; not the Bible; that introduced Sunday observance and openly admits to having changed the day of worship by its own "authority", not by any command from Christ or His apostles. Understanding how and when this change occurred is crucial for every believer who desires to follow the Word of God rather than the traditions of men.

Here we must confront the full weight of this reality: by changing the Sabbath and trampling upon the fourth commandment, the Roman Catholic Church has placed itself in direct rebellion against the law of God and is therefore walking in open iniquity. The Word of God is clear: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). And Jesus Himself warned that many would claim His name while practicing lawlessness: “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23, KJV). The word translated “iniquity” is ἀνομία (anomia); meaning lawlessness, contempt for the law of God.

It is impossible to call oneself a representative of Christ while knowingly violating His commandments. For God has never appointed law-breakers to represent Him.

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4, KJV).

By its own admission, the Roman Catholic Church claims the "authority" to change the Sabbath; an act for which no scriptural warrant exists. This is not simply a doctrinal error; it is the exaltation of human tradition above the authority of God, an act of spiritual arrogance and lawlessness.

By what authority then does the Roman Church speak in the name of Christ? For Christ said plainly: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15, KJV). He did not say, “Change them.” He did not give authority to any man or church to alter that which He wrote with His own finger in stone. “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6, KJV).

“All his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever” (Psalm 111:7-8, KJV). No pope, no council, no earthly power has the right to nullify or amend what God has sanctified.

Thus, any institution; be it Rome or any other; that knowingly tramples the fourth commandment stands condemned as a violator of God’s law. It has no true spiritual authority to speak in the name of Christ, for Christ Himself does not sanction disobedience. The fruit of such rebellion is lawlessness, not holiness. Revelation draws the final dividing line: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, KJV). By contrast, those who elevate human tradition above divine commandment align themselves with the spirit of antichrist; the spirit of lawlessness; and will face judgment unless they repent.

It is time for every true follower of Christ to recognize this deception, reject the unlawful change of the Sabbath, and return to obedience to the pure and unchanging Word of God. God does not raise up representatives from among those who practice and promote the breaking of His law.

Christ will not be represented by a church that exalts itself above His law; and no soul can claim loyalty to Jesus while knowingly following a tradition that defies the very commandment of God.

How much clearer must it be?

“There Remains a Sabbath Rest”: Hebrews 4 and the Meaning of Sabbatismos

One of the most compelling New Testament affirmations of the Sabbath is found in Hebrews 4. This chapter discusses the concept of “rest” from multiple angles: God’s rest after creation, Israel’s failure to enter the rest of the Promised Land, and the spiritual rest available through faith. Many claim that Hebrews teaches the Sabbath was abolished, but the text itself says the opposite. Hebrews 4:9 declares: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (KJV). The word translated “rest” here is not the usual Greek word for rest (katapausis), but σαββατισμός (sabbatismos); which means “a keeping of the Sabbath.” This is confirmed by every major lexicon: Thayer’s calls it “a keeping of the Sabbath,” BDAG defines it as “Sabbath observance,” and Louw & Nida say “to observe the Sabbath, to rest on the Sabbath.”

In other words, Hebrews 4:9 does not teach that the Sabbath was abolished; it teaches that Sabbath-keeping remains. The text could not be clearer: “There remaineth therefore a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God.” The context of Hebrews 4 makes this even more certain, as the writer explicitly references God’s seventh-day rest at creation (Hebrews 4:4, quoting Genesis 2:2) as the model. The Sabbath was not introduced at Sinai; it was sanctified at creation. And here, in the New Testament, we are told that it still remains for God’s people.

It is sheer dishonesty to claim that this passage abolishes the Sabbath, when the very Greek word used affirms its continuation. If anything, Hebrews 4 deepens the meaning of the Sabbath: we rest in Christ spiritually, but we also continue to honour the weekly Sabbath that God sanctified. To deny this is to twist Scripture.

As it is written: “There remaineth therefore a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God.” Not abolished. Not changed. Not forgotten.

In fact, sabbatismos is not found anywhere else in the New Testament, but it does appear in other Greek literature of the time. One professor notes: “The use of sabbatismos elsewhere in extant Greek literature… is used in Plutarch… of Sabbath observance. There are also four occurrences in post-canonical literature… In each of these places the term denotes the observance or celebration of the Sabbath”. In other words, any Greek reader of Hebrews would understand sabbatismos to mean “sabbath observance.” It’s as if the author of Hebrews, after talking about various kinds of rest, coined a term to make it crystal clear he is referring to the familiar weekly Sabbath rest.

Hebrews 4:9, then, can rightly be read as “There remains, therefore, a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God”. The word “remains” is also crucial – it shows that this Sabbath rest is an ongoing reality for Christians. The rest that remains is connected in the context to God’s own rest on the seventh day of creation (Heb. 4:4) and to the future “rest” we enter through faith (Heb. 4:3). The point? The weekly Sabbath is a foretaste of the ultimate rest with God. Far from abolishing the Sabbath, the New Testament author reaffirms it as still remaining for God’s people. Hebrews 4:10 even compares the believer’s experience to God’s rest:

"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.". That is an unmistakable allusion to Genesis 2:2, where God rested on the seventh day. Thus, Christians are invited every week to cease from their labours as God did, and enter a special rest. Verse 10’s reference to resting “as God did” strongly reflects the Sabbath commandment, which itself cites God’s creation rest as the pattern for us (Exodus 20:11).

Some have argued that the theme of “rest” in Hebrews 4 is purely spiritual, not about a literal day. It is true that Hebrews uses the imagery of rest to speak of salvation and the kingdom of God. Believers do “enter into rest” through faith in Christ (Heb. 4:3). But Hebrews does not pit this spiritual rest against the practice of the Sabbath. In fact, as we’ve seen, Hebrews 4:4 cites the literal seventh day of creation, and Hebrews 4:9 uses sabbatismos to ensure we see the Sabbath connection. The author elegantly ties together the concepts: God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, the Israelites’ failure to enter Canaan’s rest through disobedience, and our need to enter God’s rest through faith and obedience (see Heb. 4:11). Rather than cancelling the Sabbath, the New Testament enriches its meaning. One biblical scholar notes that for the Hebrews’ author, “The Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God (4:9) is not a day of mere idleness… but rather an opportunity renewed every week to enter God’s rest, that is, to free oneself from the cares of work in order to experience… God’s creation and redemption rest…. It is not only a physical cessation from work… but also a spiritual entering into God’s rest (Heb 4:10) made possible through Christ’s complete redemption. The physical act of resting becomes the vehicle through which one experiences the spiritual rest.”. In short, Hebrews teaches that the weekly Sabbath remains for Christians as a joyous practice: resting our bodies and minds every seventh day [Saturday], while also resting in the salvation Jesus provides. This is a beautiful fusion of literal and spiritual rest – not an abolition of one by the other.

Does “Resting in Christ” Abolish the Sabbath?

Some Christians object that because we now find rest in Christ (Matthew 11:28, “I will give you rest”), we don’t need to observe a weekly day of rest. They say, “Jesus is our Sabbath, so keeping a Sabbath day is legalistic.” It is certainly true that Jesus is the source of our spiritual rest; we cease from trying to earn salvation by our works, and we find peace in His finished work on the cross. However, the Bible never says that believing in Jesus replaces the commandment to remember the seventh day. In fact, as we’ve seen, Hebrews 4 integrates the two kinds of rest. We are called to enter Christ’s rest daily by faith, and also to celebrate the Sabbath day weekly as God’s gift. The spiritual rest in Christ empowers and enriches the weekly Sabbath; it doesn’t eliminate it.

Consider again Hebrews 4:10, “he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” This verse shows the relationship between the Christian’s spiritual rest and the Sabbath pattern. Because we trust wholly in Christ (ceasing from the “works” of self-justification), we mimic God’s own cessation from labour on the seventh day. Our literal stopping of work every Sabbath becomes a tangible reminder and expression of the greater rest we have in Jesus. One theologian put it this way: the Sabbath for Christians is “a physical cessation from work to commemorate God’s perfect creation” and “a spiritual entering into God’s rest… made possible through Christ’s complete redemption.” 

In fact, “the physical act of resting becomes the vehicle through which one experiences the spiritual rest” of the soul. In other words, when we unplug from work and worldly pursuits on the Sabbath, we are free to fully plug into the reality of Christ’s presence, His Word, and the peace He gives. The Sabbath is actually a weekly appointment God made for us to deepen our relationship with Him; it’s not an obstacle to a relationship with Christ, but a God-given means to enjoy it more fully.

Far from being a burden, the Sabbath is a blessing (Mark 2:27). Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” It was made for mankind – for our benefit. Think about it: now that we know the Messiah and have the full light of the gospel, does that blessing suddenly become meaningless? Of course not. If anything, the Sabbath becomes more meaningful. Christians observing the Sabbath [Saturday] delight in it not as a ritual to earn salvation, but as a joyful response to salvation; a day to rest in Christ.

In practice, keeping the Sabbath holy means we rest physically and we focus spiritually: worshipping God, remembering our Creator and Redeemer. This aligns perfectly with the New Covenant, where obedience flows from love (John 14:15) and where the law is written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). We don’t keep the Sabbath to get saved; we keep it because we are saved and desire to follow Jesus’ example and God’s command. Thus, “resting in Christ” does not abolish the Sabbath commandment; rather, it gives the Sabbath its fullest significance. We rest, not only as a duty, but as a celebration of the salvation we have in Him.

God Blessed the Seventh Day at Creation – And Never Un-blessed It

The Sabbath, then, is part of the fundamental order of creation, just like marriage or work (compare Genesis 2:3 with Genesis 2:24 and 2:15). It was given to all humanity. Jesus underscored this when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27); the word “man” here is anthropos, meaning mankind, not just Jews. In the creation account, there were no Jews or Gentiles yet; it was simply Adam and Eve, the parents of all. Thus the seventh-day Sabbath is a gift to every human being, a perpetual memorial that God is our Creator and Sustainer. It’s no coincidence that in the heart of the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath commandment begins with the word “Remember.” God was directing His people to remember something that already existed; the holy seventh day He established at creation. Exodus 20:8, 11 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth… and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” In other words, the Sabbath commandment explicitly ties back to God’s creation act. The seventh day is holy because God made it so, and He calls us to remember that fact on a weekly basis.

Throughout the Bible, there is no indication that God ever revoked the sanctity of the seventh day. On the contrary, Scripture consistently upholds it. For example, through the prophet Isaiah, God even hinted at the Sabbath’s permanence in the future Kingdom: “From one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord (Isaiah 66:23). While some interpret that figuratively, it aligns with the theme that the Sabbath is an enduring sign between God and His people (cf. Ezekiel 20:12, a sign forever that He sanctifies us). The New Testament never names any other day as having sanctity. Nowhere does it say, “God blessed the first day of the week” or “Remember Sunday to keep it holy.” That verse simply doesn’t exist. History shows that after the time of the apostles, Christians began honouring Sunday as a celebration of the Resurrection; but this was a church tradition, not a biblical command. In the Bible, the only weekly day ever called holy is the seventh-day Sabbath. As one biblical article plainly states: “The seventh day was the original Sabbath day, and it has never been changed.” Indeed, no scripture ever authorized a change of the holy day. The continuity of the Sabbath from Genesis onward testifies that it remains part of God’s moral order. God Himself “rested and was refreshed” on that first Sabbath (Exodus 31:17) as a model for us. And unlike the ceremonial laws added later, the creation Sabbath wasn’t a temporary shadow of anything – it was a creation blessing meant for all.

End-Time Believers Still Keep God’s Commandments

The Bible’s last book, Revelation, gives a prophetic picture of God’s faithful people in earth’s final days. In Revelation 14:12, we are given a defining description of the true saints; those who stand faithful to God in the final days: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (KJV). Notice: these saints are the living, obedient followers of Christ ; not the so-called "saints" of Rome, dead individuals declared holy by a pope who himself walks in disobedience to God’s law. By what true authority can one who tramples the fourth commandment presume to sanctify others? God alone is the author of holiness, and His Word makes clear that His saints are those who keep His commandments and walk in the faith of Jesus — not those exalted by human decree. 

Rather than describing God’s end-time people as those who abandon the law, the Bible says they obediently keep God’s commandments and cling to faith in Jesus. In fact, another verse in Revelation (12:17) identifies true believers as those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.” Clearly, the apostles and the prophetic scriptures never envision a time when God’s people set aside His moral law. Obedience and faith go hand in hand – not in order to be saved, but because of love for the Saviour.

Revelation 14:12 is especially relevant to the Sabbath question. By highlighting “the commandments of God,” it points us back to the Ten Commandments. It’s those commandments; written by God’s finger; that the world will largely disregard in the last days, but a remnant will uphold. Naturally, the Sabbath commandment is included. In fact, it is often a distinguishing mark, since many Christians sadly have forgotten or ignored the fourth commandment . The call of Revelation 14 (in the three angels’ messages earlier in the chapter) includes an appeal to “worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev. 14:7) – language that mirrors the Sabbath commandment’s wording about God as Creator (Exodus 20:11). So at the end of time, just as in the beginning, God is calling people back to true worship of Him as Creator, which the seventh-day Sabbath [Saturday] uniquely signifies. Modern translations render Revelation 14:12 very clearly: “This means that God’s holy people must endure patiently by obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus”. There is no conflict between obeying God’s law and having faith; the verse shows both are the characteristics of Christ’s followers. So, if someone claims the Sabbath commandment doesn’t matter anymore, Revelation’s vision of commandment-keeping believers right before Christ’s return says otherwise. The New Covenant believer is a law-keeping believer, not by legalism but by loyalty to God.

Saturday or Sunday? The Bible’s Answer vs. Tradition

If the seventh-day Sabbath was never abolished by Scripture, how is it that the majority of Christians now regard Sunday (the first day) as the day of worship? This is a crucial question, and the answer lies not in the Bible, but in church history and tradition. The practice of Sunday observance began in the decades after the apostles, gaining momentum in the second and third centuries, especially among Gentile Christians in Rome and Alexandria. Eventually, the Roman Emperor Constantine’s decree in A.D. 321 and later church councils elevated Sunday as the official day of rest in the Roman Empire. Church leaders openly acknowledged that this was an ecclesiastical change, not based on any direct scriptural command to change the day.

In fact, the Roman Catholic Church claims credit for the change from Saturday to Sunday. The logic was that, since Christ rose on Sunday (which he clearly did not see my previous post https://www.rebuildspirit.com/post/sunday-worship-is-lawlessness-honouring-man-over-god), the Church by its own "authority" designated Sunday as the new day of worship – often calling it “the Lord’s Day.”

To this day, Catholic catechisms openly admit the change of the Sabbath. For example, The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine contains this revealing Q&A: “Q. Which is the Sabbath day? A. Saturday is the Sabbath day. Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church… transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” Furthermore, when asked by what authority this was done, the Catechism states: “The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plentitude of that ‘divine power’ which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.” In other words, the Catholic Church boldly claims that it received "authority" from Christ to change the very law of God.

But such a claim is not only without biblical support; it is completely illogical and self-condemning. For how can an institution claim to exercise “divine power” while at the same time admitting it has violated the divine law? Can any true authority from Christ empower a church to break the commandments of God; the very commandments Christ upheld and declared unchangeable? It is utterly absurd to argue that Christ granted authority to His church to do what He Himself declared could not be done; to alter a law written by the very finger of God (Exodus 31:18).

In truth, no such divine power was ever given. The so-called “plenitude of power” claimed by Rome is nothing more than the exaltation of human tradition above the eternal Word of God; a blatant usurpation of divine authority. The RCC claim to alter the law of the Almighty mirrors the very spirit of the Caesars, who demanded worship as gods and persecuted those who remained loyal to the true God. Protestants once recognized this as the very spirit of antichrist; and it remains so today. During the Reformation, leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin rightly returned to Sola Scriptura; Scripture alone as the final authority. Yet ironically, many Protestants continued to observe Sunday, carrying over the Roman tradition even while denying that Rome had authority to alter God’s law. Some Protestant writers were honest enough to admit the contradiction: there is no biblical command to sanctify Sunday, and Sunday-keeping rests solely on human tradition ; whereas the Word of God commands the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.

Thus, the Catholic claim is exposed for what it is: a lawless assertion of human power against the unchanging law of God. No church can claim true authority from Christ while simultaneously exalting itself above His Word and trampling upon His commandments.

So, while church tradition may refer to Sunday as a “new day of worship,” we must return to the question: “Whose authority do we accept – God’s Word or human tradition?” The Bible is unambiguous about which day God sanctified. There is not a single verse where Jesus or the apostles say the fourth commandment was changed to a different day. Thus, if we truly go by Scripture, the seventh day (Saturday) is the holy day. By remembering and keeping it, we follow the commandment to “remember the Sabbath day”, instead of a humanly redefined “Lord’s Day.” This is not said to attack anyone’s sincere worship on Sunday, but to clarify that the Sabbath remains the only biblically authorized weekly holy day. Even the Catholic Church acknowledges that the Bible instructs keeping Saturday, and that only their ecclesiastical decree led to Sunday observance. As people who uphold the Bible, it makes sense to lovingly heed God’s instruction rather than the revisions of man.

A Sabbath Made for All God’s People

In summary, the Sabbath was never abolished – it was fulfilled in Christ and reinforced with even deeper significance. The New Covenant did away with sacrificial and ritual laws that were mere shadows, but it established God’s moral law in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). Jesus explicitly upheld the law and the prophets, showing that ‘fulfilling’ the law meant living it out, not cancelling it. The apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, continued to worship on the seventh day and never taught a Sabbath cancellation or change. The book of Hebrews affirms that a “Sabbath rest” remains for God’s people, connecting the Sabbath to the eternal rest we have in Christ. Rather than revoke the Sabbath, Jesus invites us to find even greater rest in Him – combining the physical rest of the day with the spiritual rest of salvation.

God Himself set apart the seventh day at creation, blessing and sanctifying it for humanity. There is no record of Him unsanctifying that day. No Scripture ever says, “God changed the holy day.” On the contrary, the prophetic Scriptures indicate that true believers will be distinguished by obedience to God’s commandments in the last days – which of course includes remembering the Sabbath. History shows it was human tradition, not God’s Word, that shifted worship to Sunday. Thus, Christians seeking a fully biblical faith are revisiting the importance of the fourth commandment. It’s not about legalism or trying to earn salvation by a day; it’s about loving obedience and the desire to live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

The Sabbath is a precious gift from our Creator – a day to rest, recharge, and refocus on what truly matters. It is a weekly appointment with God, a sanctuary in time that He ordained for our benefit. As Jesus demonstrated and taught, the Sabbath was made for our good. When we keep it, we step into a rhythm of grace that God established: six days of labour, and then a holy day of rest and delight in Him. We honour God’s creation, we acknowledge His authority, and we also receive needed physical rest and spiritual renewal. In a restless world, the Sabbath stands as a beacon of hope and obedience.

Believers of all backgrounds can find blessing in this commandment. Whether one comes from a Protestant, Catholic, or other Christian tradition, the call of Scripture is the same: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. It’s one of the Ten Commandments – part of the timeless moral law; and Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). By God’s grace, we can embrace the Sabbath as a delight, not a burden (see Isaiah 58:13–14). It is our prayer that all of God’s people come to experience the joy and peace of the Sabbath that God never abolished but rather intended to be a blessing “till time be swallowed up in eternity”. As the book of Revelation pictures, may we be among those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” – loving the God of the Sabbath and walking as He walked, now and forever.

Sources:

• Holy Bible, New King James Version and other translations as noted.

• MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (excerpt on Ephesians 2:15) – explaining the abolition of ceremonial law, not moral law.

• Sabbath Truth – “Christ, in fulfilling the moral law, abolished it.” Refutation of the idea that fulfilling means ending the law.

• Life, Hope & Truth – “Paul Preaches to Gentiles on the Sabbath.” Insight into Acts 13:42–44 and Paul’s custom of Sabbath preaching.

• Bible Hub – Acts 17:2 with commentary (Paul’s custom was to worship on the Sabbath).

• Life, Hope & Truth – “Sabbatismos: Does Hebrews 4:9 Teach Rest on the Sabbath?” Discussion of the Greek term sabbatismos meaning “Sabbath-keeping” and the continued Sabbath rest for Christians.

• Life, Hope & Truth – “Did God Create the Sabbath in Genesis 2?” Explanation of Genesis 2:3 and the sanctification of the seventh day at creation.

• BibleRef – Revelation 14:12 explained, showing end-time saints keep God’s commands and faith in Jesus.

• AskACatholic – Catholic catechism Q&A acknowledging the Church’s role in changing Sabbath to Sunday.

• Adam Clarke’s Commentary (via LifeHopeTruth) – affirming the ongoing moral obligation of the Sabbath until eternity.

• Samuele Bacchiocchi, The Sabbath in the New Testament – on the spiritual and physical meaning of Sabbath rest for Christians.