Why Would Christians Keep the Sabbath?

What happened to change my mind!

Over ten years ago, the Lord began to draw me to repentance.

I was going through a very difficult time. I was suicidal and wondered why God hated me so much to allow me to be in such pain.

Slowly, God began helping me to read the Word and see the absolute beauty of Jesus and wonder at His amazing power and greatness, his mercy and goodness. I went through a deep time of repentance, realizing that if He held even one small sin against me I was going to hell. I begged Him for forgiveness with many tears and genuine regret. I had sincere grief over my lack of holiness, over people I'd hurt, over mistakes I had made, over how I had offended God. He made me see just how terrible my sin really was in His sight. I had an awareness of the horror of my sin next to God's perfect holiness.

I saw from Scripture, that those who loved God and knew Him had love for others. I could see in my heart that I did not have genuine love for others. I was jealous, envious, and angry at others. I had unforgiveness and resentment. I asked God to show me His love, and to put His love in my heart. He did and He changed my heart.

God allowed me to feel His presence tangibly and I spent much time praising God, feeling so much joy and love in his presence. Every time I opened the Bible, scripture would jump out and speak clearly to me. This went on for some time. It was an amazing time of renewal and connection with God.

I had grown up in a Christian family, I “believed” in Jesus, was baptized and even went to Bible College and “served” in Church. The truth was that I have never experienced genuine repentance, nor had I been born again. But, I never realized this. I did not see how sinful I was. I could not perceive how self-righteous and hypocritical I had been.

Now that I had experienced God’s love, forgiveness and His GREAT mercy, I asked Him what He required of me.

How was I to live in order to please Him?

I read in Revelation 12:17:

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (KJV)

And in Revelation 14:12:

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (KJV)

And in Revelation 22:14:

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (KJV)

My eyes were opened…

The SAINTS OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENTS and hold to the FAITH of Jesus!

The saints OBEY God’s commandments! I had been taught that God’s commandments were abolished in Jesus! Crucified on the cross!

My mind exploded!

Immediately I asked, “Which commands am I not keeping?” I turned to find the ten commandments. I got to “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

The SABBATH? Really?

I prayed, “Lord, if you want us to keep the Sabbath, please show me.” (As if He hadn’t just then!)

I randomly opened the Bible… (**)

I opened to Exodus 35:1 & 2:

"Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death." (NIV)

Then I was lead to read Exodus 34:21:

“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” (NIV)

Then Exodus 31:12 - 18:

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

“‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”" (NIV)

And then Exodus 20:8 - 11:

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." (NIV)

This is not an exhaustive list of scriptures about the Sabbath, just the ones I was lead to that particular day in answer to my prayer.

For years after this, as I grappled with this revelation, scriptures would leap out about the Sabbath, obedience to God’s commands and the fear of the Lord. I knew that this was the truth. It was God’s Word! However, after believing for nearly 40 years that Jesus had abolished the law and freed us from its 'curse', it was a battle to believe that obedience to God’s commandments was a blessing.

I wrestled with the doctrines that had been ingrained in my mind from years of “Christian” teaching. Even as we kept the Sabbath, I struggled with whether I was doing the right thing. Was I under a curse for obeying God’s commands? Was I under bondage? Was I a heretic going down the wrong path?

Added to this was the reaction from Christian family that we were doing “Jewish things.”

Over time, we have come to value keeping the Sabbath, and look forward to it every week. It has been an absolute blessing to us and points us to Christ and his work for us. We look forward to the renewal of all things where we will enjoy rest with Him forever.

Why should Christians keep Sabbath?

After many years of keeping the Sabbath, being convinced by God's Word, and benefiting from its blessings, I believe that we, as Christians, should keep the Sabbath.

Scripture confirms it over and over.

That's how it started, with a call to repentance and obedience to God's commands. The Sabbath was the beginning.

I'm living a new life. Christ, the Living Water, lives in me. We aim to live as He lived, in obedience to The Father.

Do you feel you need some rest?

If you're not sure how to keep the Sabbath, please read my blog post How to Keep the Sabbath.

(**) Side note: I have done this for many years and in the early years found God gave me very clear instruction. I do not suggest this as the only way to know God’s will. However, God spoke to me very clearly and regularly this way in the beginning. As one speaks to a child differently to an adult, God’s way of communicating with us can change.