Do Christians have to keep the Sabbath?
No. The Sabbath was the sign of God’s covenant with Israel and a shadow pointing to Jesus. Christians rest in Him every day. Taking a day off is still wise, but as a gift, not a law.
No, Christians do not have to keep the Sabbath as a law. The Sabbath was a gift and a sign God gave to Israel. It pointed ahead to a deeper rest, and that rest has come in Jesus. Taking a day off is still wise. It is just not a rule that makes you right with God.
A sign for one nation
God gave the Sabbath at Mount Sinai as “a sign forever between me and the people of Israel” (Exodus 31:17). It reminded them that God freed them from Egypt. Like every sign of the Law, it pointed ahead to something bigger.
Jesus is the rest
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
The word is ἀνάπαυσις anapausis, a refreshing break, like a cool drink after a hot walk. Jesus did not say “come to a day.” He said “come to me.” Right after this, in Matthew 12, the Pharisees fight Him over the Sabbath. Matthew wants us to see it. The rest the Sabbath promised has come, and His name is Jesus.
Jesus also said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). The sign is not the master. He is.
What the apostles said
Paul wrote to believers, “Let no one pass judgment on you... with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath” (Colossians 2:16). He told the Romans each person should be fully convinced in his own mind about days (Romans 14:5). And the apostles left the Sabbath off their list for new believers in Acts 15.
To the Galatians Paul was sharp: “You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain” (Galatians 4:10-11). Taking a day off was never the problem. Trusting the calendar to make you right with God was.
The rest that remains
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
Hebrews 4:9
Hebrews uses a rare word found only once in the Bible, σαββατισμός sabbatismos, a Sabbath rest. How do we keep it? We rest from our works. We stop trying to earn God’s love and trust what Jesus finished. The old Sabbath came once a week. This rest is every day.
What resting in Jesus looks like
Waking up knowing God is not mad at you. Failing, telling Him, and getting back up without beating yourself up for a week. Praying because you want to. Like a child asleep in the back seat on a long trip, you trust the One who is driving.
Rest is still a good gift
God built rest into the world from the start. Take a day off. Sleep in. Worship with God’s people. Eat a long meal with people you love. Rest on Saturday if you like, or Sunday. Just do not judge a brother who chooses differently, and do not let anyone judge you. Your standing with God depends not on what day you rest, but on whom you rest in.
Go deeper
This answer comes from the teaching “The Rest That Never Ends”. The Sabbath was a picture, and Jesus is the real rest. Stop working to earn God’s love. Rest in what Jesus finished, every day of the week.
Related questions
- Is Saturday the true Sabbath?Yes, the Sabbath of the Law was the seventh day, Saturday. But it was the sign of God’s covenant with Israel, and the New Testament says no one may judge Christians over a Sabbath. Our true rest is Jesus.
- Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath?No. Sunday is not a new Sabbath law. Christians gather on Sunday because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. It is a celebration of an empty tomb, not a new Mount Sinai.
- What does Colossians 2:16 mean?Colossians 2:16 says no one may judge Christians over food, festivals, new moons or a Sabbath. Those were shadows that pointed to Christ. Now that He has come, the shadow has no hold on you.