Sabbath

Answer: There is a long history behind why so many churches and Christian denominations observe Sunday rather than the Sabbath (Saturday). Much of this record can be confirmed in history books and encyclopedias.

Many in the early church (during the second century A.D.) began to incorporate some of the practices of the traditional pagan religions in the Roman Empire around them, including the practice of worshipping on Sunday. The church leadership also compromised and blended practices of Greek philosophers with Christianity.

The motivation for doing so was to distance themselves from anything Jewish. Although Christianity's roots are found in Jewish practice (God's laws in the Old Testament), church leaders at that time were embarrassed by this association and determined to rid themselves of Jewish connections such as the seventh-day Sabbath.

While a few Sunday-keeping denominations today will cite a few scriptures from the New Testament supposedly giving "evidence" that the Sabbath was not kept in the early Church and that Sunday was, most will acknowledge that it was the political pressures in history that caused the change. Of course, this compromise with God's law (the Fourth Commandment) was also seen when churches began incorporating the trappings and practices now associated with Christmas and Easter.

If you would like to learn more about mainstream Christianity's history of replacing biblical practices with traditional pagan styles of worship, we suggest you read Holidays or Holy Days—Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? (http://www.ucg.org/booklets/HH/) and Sunset to Sunset—God's Sabbath Rest (http://www.ucg.org/booklets/SS/).

Answer: There are two fundamental principles involved in keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. First, it is a day of rest and, second, we are to uphold the spiritual intent of the day. God wants us to be renewed both physically and spiritually. Designed for this purpose, the Sabbath is a gift from God and not a burden. It is for our own well being (Mark 2:27).

When one is involved in playing sports on the Sabbath, it is generally a physically and mentally enervating experience for purely secular reasons—something contrary to the purpose of the Sabbath. In contrast to other days of the week, God says the Sabbath is holy time—time set apart as different from other time during the week (Genesis 2:3)—and it has a specific spiritual purpose.

We keep the Sabbath holy only by refraining from work or pursuits that are intended for the other six days of the week. If we were participating in a sport on the Sabbath, it would distract our attention from the intended purpose of the day. Furthermore, we would be using God's time for our own selfish pursuits and, therefore, we would no longer be keeping the Sabbath holy.

In this society that ignores God's Commandments, the Sabbath can be a test of our faith. But when we call it a delight and not a burden, it then becomes a great blessing to our lives and God rewards us richly (Isaiah 58:13-14). The Sabbath is a time for resting from our normal activities and focusing on spiritual priorities.

Answer: . This is an important question and one that is very important to our relationship with God. The Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:28) and God fellowships with us during this time that He made holy (1 John 1:3). The best way to determine how to observe the Sabbath is to consider God's instructions regarding it.

While we can't cover all of the scriptures referring to the Sabbath in this short space, here are a few key principles to help you begin determining how God would have you observe this day.

First, we note in Exodus 20:8 that it is a day to "keep holy." This means the Sabbath is special—unlike other days. One way we are to make the Sabbath special is by ceasing from our normal work that we do throughout the week (Hebrews 4:9-10). Isaiah 58 is a good primer on our attitudes toward keeping the Sabbath. Here we find that we are not to seek our own pleasure and that we should look upon the Sabbath as a "delight." The Sabbath is a time to honor God instead of doing our normal activities.

The scriptures we have noted form a good basis for determining what to do or not do on the Sabbath. In keeping with these principles, on the Sabbath many people choose not to watch television (other than news programs) and to listen to different types of music (inspiring in nature) than they normally listen to. Many also choose to spend extra time in study and prayer on this day.

We hope these principles will help you make good decisions about how to observe the Sabbath. If you want to study this subject in greater depth, we recommend our free booklet, Sunset to Sunset—God's Sabbath Rest. It is available at http://www.ucg.org/booklets/SS/.

Answer: Concerning Sabbath observance in the Old Testament, Leviticus 23:3 says there was to be a holy convocation (assembly) on the Sabbath. While we don't know exactly what took place during these assemblies, Nehemiah 8:1-8 describes a service on a Holy Day—also a holy convocation. This assembly included reading from the Scriptures and having trained men explain the meaning of the Scriptures—the same things we do at our Sabbath services today.