Introduction

The Scriptures dearly teach

that the Sabbath is a special
day which Ood instituted for
His people to observe. As
Ood's people, we must take
care to observe it according to
His word. What does Ood's
word teach concerning the
proper observance of the
Sabbath 1
own ways, from seeking your Sabbath is, it is first necessary
own pleasure, and speaking to examine Scriptural
your own word, then you teaching concerning the
will take delight in the Sabbath. How important is
Lord ... :
1
the Sabbathl How does it
This passage exhorts us to apply to us todayl
avoid doing or speaking our Creation Ordinance
"own pleasure" on that day. Oenesis 2:2-3 states
This is not, however, all that that after Ood had finished
it requires. If we would His creation, He "blessed the
properly observe the Sabbath, seventh day and sanctified it,
To many people, the we must also "call the because in it He rested from
Sabbath is properly observed Sabbath a delight, the holy aU His work." Ood set apart
when they honor it ...... _______________ --, that day as a special
with their actions TN E QUE E N 0 F D .\lS.. day, one of greater
and words. They "' importance than all
may attend worship Properly Obser"ln the the others. This
services, refrain was a significant
from certain actions, Sabbath action by Ood, for
and even observe it established the
strict rules of '---------------------' pattern for man's
behavior. They may also take work and rest and provided
care to guard their speech. day of the Lord honorable." the reason for Sabbath
This addresses our whole b h' h
r'od's word does dearly 0 servance, as t e .ourt
'Y attitude toward the Sabbath. d I I
command that we are to cornman ment ater exp ains.
Ood demands that we honor Th S bb th 'titut d
honor the Sabbath by these e a a was ms e
the Sabbath not J'ust in our 'II I '
means. The fourth .or a men, as seen a so m
words and deeds, but in our L d' d I h
commandment, for example, our or s ec aration t at
hearts. Thomas Watson, a "th S bb h d '
forbids work on the Sabbath. e a at was rna e .or
Puritan minister, aptly noted "(M k 0 07)
But are actions and words the man ar L:L
that "by calling the Sabbath
extent of proper Sabbath honourable, is meant that God's Law
observancel Isaiah 58:13-14, honour of the heart which we Sabbath observance is
a key passage concerning h d commanded I'n the
give to t e ay, reverencing
Sabbath observance, indicates 't d t ' 't th Decalogue, whl'ch I'S the very
I ,an es eemmg I as . e
otherwise: queen of days."2 heart and summary of qod's
"If because of the sabbath, The Definition of. moral requirements upon
you turn your foot from doing man. The fourth
a Proper Attitude
your own pleasure on My commandment requires that
holy day, and call the sabbath The Importance of the seventh day be kept holy;
delight, the holy day of the the Sabbath the prohibition of work on
Lord honorable, and shaH To understand what the that day is based on Ood's
honor it, desisting from your proper attitude toward the own ceasing from work on
June, 1996 ~ THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ 2 7
the original seventh day. As
part of Cod's righteous and
abiding moral law (Matt,.
5:17-18, Rom. 3:31; 7:1.2).
which requires obedience
from all men (Rom. 3:19).
Sabbath observance is still .
binding today. Robert
Dabney commented:
"In its nature, as well as its
necessity, it is a permanent.
moral command. All such
laws are as incapable of
change as the Cod in whose
character they are founded
.... moral precepts can never be
repealed; because the purpose
to repeal them would imply a
change in the unchangeable,
and a depravation in the
perfect character of Cod:'
The Sabbath's importance
is further demonstrated in
Isaiah 56. In this passage,
honoring the is
associated with avoiding
wickedness (v . .2), which is
disobedience to the law of
Cod (1 John 3:4), and acting
in obedience to the covenant
of Cod ("holds fast My
covenant," v. 6). Obedience
to Cod's law was essential to
a faithful keeping of Cod's
covenant (Deut. 7:11-1.2;
.26:17-19; Ps. 78:10; Has.
8:1). Cod demands no less of
His people today.
Christ's Instruction
In Christ's minisby He
constantly opposed the scribal
additions to the law of Cod
which had accumulated over
the years. The law's purpose
was often obscured by the
erroneous interpretations of
the. Pharisees, and the
Sabbath was greatly affected
in the process. Therefore
often rebuked Phalisees
for their added rules and
perversions of the Sabbath
law (Luke 6:6-10; )3:1 0-17,
at the same time He
demonstrated the Sabbath's
abiding validity when He .
proclaimed Himself Lord over
it (tylark .2:.28). Creg
Bahnsen pointed out that in
calling Himself "Lord even of
the Sabbath," "Christ
definitdy and positively '
confirmed the Sabbath;
otherwise Christ would be
grandly proclaiming His
lordship over something
which was nonexistent."5
New Covenant Function
Christ confirmed the
validity of the Sabbath, but
He also fulfilled certain
aspects of the Sabbath law in
His atoning work. These
were the ceremonial features
of the Sabbath, such as the
sacrifices, whIch were
intended as a sign of the
coming everlasting
atonement of Christ for His
people. When Chlist died
upon the cross, these features
were fulfilled in Him.
Colossians .2:17 calls the
ceremonial features, some of
which are listed in the
28 l THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon Jnne, 1996
preceding verse,
which are a mere shadow of
what is to come; but the
substance belongs to
At the same time, Chlist's
resurrection confirmed the
lasting moral aspects of the
Sabbath law. The Sabbath
had been a memoliai of
Cod's creation rest and also
Israel's deliverance from
bondagein Egypt (Ex. . .20:11;
Deut. 5:15), now it became a
memorial of Christ's
deliverance of !jis pe()ple
from the bondage of sin.
6
It
also looked to the etemal
in Cod which Christ's '
resurrection secured for the
people of Cod, which is
spoken of in Hebrews 4.
The seventh day rest was
altered, becomjng a first day .
memorial. Christ's ' .
resurrection was on the
eighth day, or the firstday of
the week, and the disdples
met on the first day of the
week and a week later after
His death (John .20:19,.26).
Acts .20:7 and I Corinthians
16:1,.2 show that the '
disciples met on the first day
to preach and break bread.
These are further evidences .
that Sabbath observance was
moved to the first day/
Dabney said this when
speaking of Colossians
.2:16,17:
"The seventh day had
been, thEm, to the Jews, both
a moral institution and a
ritual type. In its latter use,
the coming of Christ hadof
course abrogated it. In its
former use, its whole duties
and obligations had lately
been transferred to the Lord's
day. So that the seventh day,
as distinguished from Sunday,
along with the new-moons,
was now nothing but a type,
and that an effete one: "
Prophetic Significance
As well as looking back to
Ciod's creation ofthe world
and Christ's death for His
people, the Sabbath looks
forward to the coming eternal
rest in Ciod. When Ciod's
people rest on His day and
worship Him, they realize
more fully what the eternal
state will be like as they
experience communion with
Him. John Murray puts it
well when he says the
I
Sabbath is "the of a
glorious prospect, the foretaste
of the Sabbath rest that
remains for the p,eople of
Ciod:
9
I
In this light, James
, ,
Bannerman saw ( three .
Sabbaths" in CioWs word: the
first of creation, the second of
redemption, whi,ch includes
the first, and the: third of
"creation The third
will inclu,de bom the former
two in its scope, :and will be
"when, creation restored and
redemption completed, and
both continued in gIOlY, Ciod
the Spirit shall enter into His
rest, and shall call upon His
saints to rest with Him also,
rejoicing together through
eternity in the last and
highest Sabbath of Ciod. "10
Hebrews 4:9 speaks of this
when it declares: "There
remains therefore a Sabbath
rest for the people of Ciod."
The weekly Sabbath we
experience now, therefore, is
important also in that it
prefigures the eternal
communion which we will
have with Ciod. The Sabbath
is a holy day, special to the
Lord, on which we shoulq
engage in earnest
communion with Ciod in
anticipation of our promised
future rest with Him.
This biblical teaching
concerning the future rest also
gives another reason showing
thatthe Sabbath, in that it
still bears an important
function, is still binding upon
men . . Murray emphasized
this: 'The sabbath insti-
tution ,In all its aspects and
application has t/1is
prospeictive reference;
... Redemption has a past, a
present, and a future. In the
as ' the Lord's day' all
three focused. "11
summarized the
Bible's teaching concerning
the abiding validity of the
Sabbath:
. ,
"When man observes the
Sabbath he is rightly
,
imitating his Creator; the
Sabbath rest is patterned after
the creation rest of Ciod. In
the era ofthe New Covenant
this creation rest becomes a
sign of the Christian hope,
his heavenly rest at the
consummation of this age
(Heb.4J. In the beginning
Ciod established His rest;
Christ proVides for and
promises entrance to this rest,
and in the eternal age we
shall enjoy itY
Beneficial Nature
Christ taught that "the
Sabbath was made for man"
(Mark 2:27J. It is also
important, therefore, in its
benefit to man. The veTY
pattern of resting eveTY
seventh day, established from
the beginning of the world,
brings rest and refreshment to
man, And this rest is not
only physical, but spiritual;
for the observation of the
Sabbath involves the active
, worship of Ciod, both
formally and informally, as
well as the passive resting
from ordinaTY weekly labor.
In Leviticus 23:3, in addition
to being called a "complete
rest, " the Sabbath is called a
"holy convocation," a
gathering of the people in
order to worship Ciod.
Sabbath observance,
therefore, has not a only
negative aspect, in refraining
from certain works, but also
June, 1996 l THE COuNSEL of Chalcedon l 29
an important positive aspect:
to glorify Ood in worship.
The Honor of the Sabbath
Knowing how important
the Sabbath is and how
necessalY it is for Ood's
people to observe, how do we
have a proper attitude toward
the Sabbathl We reverence it
as the honorable and holy day
of the Lord; we consider it a
delight to observe. Reflecting
upon the Scriptural teaching
concerning the Sabbath
should bring us to a great
regard for that day in all that
it signifies: the majesty of
Ood's creation, the glorious
and gracious redemption of
Ood's people, the promised
future rest. In keeping the
Sabbath our thoughts
particularly should be turned
to the great redemption of
Christ and all that it
accomplished, the Sabbath
"ought to be suffused with the
joy derived from and
correspondent with the
resurrection joy of the Lord."13
In his commentary on
Isaiah 58:13, Matthew
HenlY stated that when we
call the Sabbath the holy day
of the Lord we recognize that
it is "separated from common
use and devoted to Ood and
his service" and "the day
which he has sanctified to
himself."14 Ood has given us
this special day on which to
commune with Him and
meditate on His power and
grace, we must take care to
regard it as highly as it
warrants. Thomas Watson .
expressed his high veneration
of the Sabbath in these
beautiful words:
How highly should we
esteem and reverence this
dayl It is more precious than
rubies. Ood has anointed it
with the oil of gladness above
its fellows. On the Sabbath
we are doing angels' work,
our tongues are tuned to
Ood's praises. The Sabbath
on earth is a shadow and type
of the gloriOUS rest and eternal
Sabbath we hope for in
heaven, when Ood shall be
the temple, and the Lamb
shall be the light of it.
15
The Necessity of
a Proper Attitude
How essential is proper
attitude to the worthy
observance of the Sabbath?
To find out we must examine
Ood's law and the Scriptural
teaching concerning the
requirements for true worship.
The Demand of Ood's law
Ood's law demands
internal as well as external
obedience. The Ten
Commandments speak not
only to actions but
inclinations of the heart and
attitudes, as Jesus
demonstrated several times in
His Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew 5. For example,
not only physical adultery
30 ~ THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ June, 1996
was condemned in the
seventh commandment, but
also adulterous thoughts and
attitudes (Matt. 5:27,28).
Christ taught the full scope of
Ood's law, which had been
neglected by the PhariseesY
The fourth commandment,
therefore, demands that we
keep the Sabbath holy in OUT
heart as well as our actions
I
and words. A right heart
attitude, inde\;:d, ~
profoundly affect our actions,
for actions flow from what is
in the heart (Matt. 12:34;
15:17,18, Mark 7:21,22).
When speaking of Isaiah
58:13, John Calvin observed
that Isaiah "pronounces the
foundation to be the will,
from which proceed speeches,
and next actions; for we speak
what we have conceived in
our heart, and by speech we
make known our will, and
afterwards carry it into effect.
Whoever then wishes to
serve Ood in a proper
manner, must altogether
renounce his flesh and his
willY
The Scriptural
Requirements for
True Worship
The Lord is properly
worshiped only when man's
heart is obedient to Him.
Ood would not accept the
sacrifices of Israel because the
people had rebellious hearts,
which was demonstrated in
their wicked lifestyles (Ps.
78:8,37; Is. 1 :11-15;
29:13,14,jer. 6:19,20). Ciod,
who sees and judges the
heart, demands a humble and
obedient attitude toward
Him in worship. He is not
satisfied with the mere
external observance of His
day. This can be seen in
Micah 6:6-8, where Israel is
rebuked for being content
with bowing before the Lord
with a multitude of sacrifices
when her soul was guilty of
sin.
Likewise, Ciod's people
today must worship Him in
their innermost hearts as well
as in their outward actions;
all of our being must be given
to Ciod in worship on His
day. The heart, from which
"flow the springs of life"
(Prov. 4:23)' must be carefully
watched, we must never let
ourselves be content with
performing outward actions
in worshiping Ciod while our
hearts are far from Him.
(TO BE CONTINVED)
Select Bibliography
Bahnsen. Cireg L Theonomy in
Christian Ethics. 2d. ed.
Phillipsburg. N.J.: Presbyterian and
Reformed. 1984.
Bannennan, James. llle Church of
Christ: A Treatise on the Nature.
Powers, Ordinances, Discipl ine, and
Ciovemment of the Christian Church.
Vol.1. Edinburgh: The Banner of
Truth. 1960.
Beckwith. Roger T. and Wilfred Stott.
The Christian Sunday: A Biblical and
Historical Study. 1978 (under title This is
the Day). Reprint. Cirand Rapids: Baker.
1980.
Bordwinc. James E. A Ciuide to the
Westminster Confession of Faith and
Larger Catechism. Jefferson. Md.: TI,e
Trinity Foundation. 1991.
Calvin. John. CommentalY 011 the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Vol. 4.
T ranslaled by William Pringle. Cirand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948.
Dabney, Robert. Leclures in
Systemalic Theology. 1878.
Reprint. Cirand Rapids: Zondervan.
1972.
Elwell, Walter A. cd. Evangelical
DictionalY of Theology. Cirand
Rapids: Baker, 1984. S.V. "Lord's Day:
by R. W. Lyon.
Hanko, Herman. 'Sabbath
Desecration,H TIle Standard Bearer,
ApriI15,1989,333-334.
Henf)', Matthew. Matthew HenlY's
CommentalY on the Whole Bible.
Vol. 4. Isaiah to Malachi. McLean, Va.:
MacDonald, n.d.
Murray, John. Collected Writings of
John Murray. Vol. 1, TI,e Claims of
Truth. Edinburgh: TI,e Banner ofTruth,
1976.
Murray, John. Principles of Conduct:
Aspects of Biblical Ethics. Cirand Rapids:
Eerdmans. 1957.
New DictionalY of Theology, 1988
ed. S.v. ' Sabbath:
Oberholzer, Emil. Jr. Delinquent
Saints: Disciplinary Action in
the Early Congregational Churches of
Massachusetts. New York:
Columbia Vniversity Press, 1956.
Owen. John. An Exposition of the
Epistle to the Hebrews. Vol. 2,
Introduction. Edited by W. H. Cioold.
London: Johnstoneand Hunter, 1855/
Rapids: Baker. 1980.
Ryken, Leland. Worldly Saints: The
Puritans as TI,ey Really Were.
Cirand Rapids: Academie Books. 1986.
Solberg, Winton V. Redeem the
Time: The in
Early America. Cambridge: Harvard
Vniversity Press. 1977.
Watson, lllomas. TIle Ten
Commandments. London: The Banner
ofTruth. 1959.
Watson. Tom, Jr. ' Farewell to
'Sacred'," World, April 18, 1988,
15.
'TI,e New American Standard Bible
Version will be used in this paper.
t'Jllomas Watson, The Ten
Commandments (London: Banner of
Truth. 1959). 88.
3Robert Dabney, Lectures in
Systematic Theology (n.p.: 1878,
Reprint, Cirand Rapids: Zondervan,
1972), 380.
(Fuller treatment in qreg Bahnsen,
Theonomy in Christian Ethics, 2d cd.
(Phillipsburg. N.J.: Presbyterian and
Reformed, 1984), 229-230.
' Ibid .. 230.
' Roger T. Beckwith Wilfred Stott.
TI,e Christian Sunday: A Biblical and
Historical Study (former title This is the
Day, 1978, Reprinted Cirand Rapids:
Baker, 1980). 43.
' For a fuller argument for the change
to the first day, see Dabney, Lectures In
Systematic TI,eology. 390-394.
' Ibid .. 388-389.
'John Murray, Collected Writings of
John Murray, Vol.1. The Claims of Truth
(Edinburgh: BannerofTruth,1976), 216.
10James Bannerman, The Church of
Chrisl: A Treatise on the Nature,
Powers, Ordinances, Discipline, and
Ciovernment of the Christian Church,
Vol.l (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth,
1960),405.
"Murray, Collecled Writings, 224.
12Bahnscn, Theonomy, 29.
"Murray, Collected Writings, 228.
" Matthew HenlY. Matthew HenlY' s
Commentaf)' on the Whole Bible. Vol.
4. Isaiah to Malachi (McLean. Va.:
MacDonald. n.d.). 342.
15Watson, Ten Commandments, 71.
10Bahnsen examines the specific laws
that Christ addressed in the Sermon on
the Mount. as well as other passages in
which He sought to restore the law's
original intent against the distortions of
the Pharisees, in Theonomy, 96-124.
11John Calvin, Commentary on the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Vo1.4. Trans.
by William Pringle (Cirand Rapids:
Eerdmans. 1948), 241-242.
June, 1996 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 't 31