What does the Bible say about keeping the Sabbath in the New Testament?

Interesting and enlightening viewpoints on the Sabbath are provided by the New Testament. The significance of the Sabbath was confirmed by Jesus. Jesus questioned certain of the Sabbath-related customs that the religious authorities of his day upheld.

He stressed that humanity's benefit, not burden, was the reason behind the creation of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Jesus demonstrated that acts of kindness and healing are suitable on the Sabbath by curing people and performing acts of mercy (Mark 3:1–6; Luke 13:10–17). Let's examine this topic in our own reading of the Bible now.

1. 1.WHEN Jesus was here, did He keep the commandments of God?

   Bible⇒ John 15: 10 .

   John Wesley: " The moral law contained in the ten commandments, and enforced by the prophets, He did not take away. It was not the design of His coming to revoke any part of this. . . . Every part of this law must remain in force upon all mankind and in all ages, as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstance liable to change, but on the nature of God and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other." — "Bible Readings for the Home Circle," p. 375.

2. 2.Did He observe the seventh-day Sabbath?

   Bible⇒ Luke 4: 16; Luke 4: 31; Exodus 20: 8-11 .

   Rev. William Prynne, D. D., says: " It is certain that Christ Himself, His apostles, and the primitive Christians for some good space of time, did constantly observe the seventh-day Sabbath, . . . it being still solemnized by many Christians after the apostles' times, even till the Council of Laodicea [A. D. 364]."— "Dissertation on the Lord's Day," 33.

3. 3.Is Jesus our example in all things?

   1 Peter 2: 21.

4. 4.Does God expect us to follow His example?

   Bible⇒ 1 John 2: 6.

5. 5.Does the New Testament mean the seventh day when it speaks of the Sabbath?

   Bible⇒ Luke 23: 52-56; Luke 24: 1; Mark 15: 42-47; Luke 16: 1, 2.

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7. 6.Which day is the Sabbath of the commandment and the

   Bible⇒ Sabbath of the New Testament? — The day just before the first day of the week. Matthew 28: 1; Mark 16: 1, 2 (Illustrate by the calendar week) .

8. 7. Which day did the women associated with Jesus observe?

   Bible⇒ Luke 23: 55, 56 .

9. 8.Did the early Christian churches observe the Sabbath?

   Bible ⇉ For example, note Acts 13: 14; Acts 13 : 44, Antioch; Acts 16: 12, 13, Philippi; Acts 17: 1; 2; Acts 17: 4, Thessalonica; Acts 18: 1-4, Corinth

   Rev. Lyman Abbott says: " The current notion that Christ and His apostles authoritatively substituted the first day of the week for the seventh, is absolutely without any authority in the New Testament."— Editorial in the Christian Union, Jan. 19, 1882.

10. 9.How many Sabbath meetings are recorded in the above references?

    — Total, 84 meetings.

11. 10.Is there any commandment in the New Testament to observe the first day of the week?

    Bible ⇉ Read every verse where the first day is mentioned: Matthew 28: 1; Luke 24: 1; Mark 16: 2, 9; John 20: 1, 19; Acts 20: 7; 1 Corinthians 16: 2.

    Nor is there anywhere in the New Testament any express statement that the first day of the week was to be kept in place of the seventh, or was in any way the Sabbath." — Chambers' Encyclopedia, art. " Sabbath

12. 11.Where do we find the New Testament record of the only meeting held on the first day of the week?

    Bible ⇉ — Held at Troas on a Saturday night. Acts 20: 5-12. In accordance with the Bible plan of reckoning time, the first day of the week began at sundown, consequently the meeting held by Paul on Saturday evening was in the early or dark part of the first day of the week

13. 12.Which day of the week is the " Lord's day "?

    Bible ⇉ Luke 6: 5-11; Revelation 1: 10.