Graciously Receiving God’s Gift of Sabbath

Scripture — Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17 (NRSV)

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord.

Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Devotion

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, we saw that the early followers of Jesus adopted a variety of practices related to the sabbath. By the second century A.D., most Christians set apart Sunday as the Lord’s Day, a special day for corporate worship and remembrance of the resurrection. Sabbath-keeping was not widely emphasized until many centuries later.

When it came to things like honoring the sabbath or abstaining from certain kinds of foods, first-century Christians had diverse views and practices. Some believed it was essential for Christians to honor the sabbath and keep kosher. Others disagreed. This led to conflicts in some Christian communities. We know this because the Apostle Paul addresses such conflicts in his letters. Though some of the details vary, the churches in Rome and Colossae were all struggling with the question of whether Gentile Christians must practice the Jewish sabbath. In each church, Jewish (or Jewishly-inclined) Christians were keeping the sabbath, demanding that all others do the same, and criticizing those who did not agree with them. In his letters to these churches, Paul refutes the claim that Gentiles must become like Jews in sabbath-keeping.

But Paul allows for differences of opinion when it comes to our personal practices. In Romans 14:5-6 he writes, “Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord.” Some Christians honor the Jewish Sabbath. Some don’t. Those who do, should do so to honor the Lord and so shouldn’t be criticized. Those who don’t should have the freedom to follow their own consciences in the matter. They should also not be criticized. In the matter of special days, Christians should practice gracious freedom and mutual respect.

Similarly, in his letter to the Colossians Paul writes, “Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). Notice, Paul does not say: Don’t ever keep the sabbath. And he does not say: Of course you should observe the sabbath, but not in the way of your opponents. Rather he says, Don’t let anyone condemn you for these things. In other words, this is something about which Christians will disagree and that’s okay. The important thing is that we don’t criticize those who do things differently from ourselves while we are following our own personal convictions.

Now, I realize that some Christians have very strong convictions about which day of the week ought to be special and about what we should do and not do on that particular day. I also realize that it can be hard to get along with others who disagree with us about the things we hold dear. Nevertheless, it seems to me that when it comes to the details of sabbath observance, we need to allow for differences in belief and practice. This is a good chance to give and receive the grace of Christ.

Yet, when we take in the wide expanse of biblical teaching on sabbath, it also seems clear to me that God intends for us to rest regularly and intentionally. Our times of rest may well be private, though we also need to gather with other believers on a weekly basis for worship and fellowship. Moreover, though we rightly put aside our ordinary work in order to receive God’s gift of rest, we should follow Jesus in recognizing that certain kinds of work – healing, for example – are fully consistent with faithful sabbath keeping. The sabbath is God’s gift to humankind, a gift that enhances restoration, relationship, and reflection. I believe we need to receive this gift today as individuals, friends, families, and churches.

Banner image by Jay Castor on Unsplash.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Welcoming Overcomes Quarrels Over Differing Opinions (Romans 14:1–23).

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