We have now come to the end of our study in what I have called “Everyday Theology.” Throughout this series, we have focused primarily on the ordinary days of the week—Monday through Saturday. But today, I want to turn our attention to the one day that is not like the others: Sunday.
We live in a time when the idea of a weekly day set apart for rest and worship seems increasingly out of step with the rhythms of the world around us. Our culture operates on a seven-day cycle of work, entertainment, and constant activity. Even among believers, Sunday is often treated as just another day. Many may attend a church service in the morning, but the rest of the day is commonly filled with errands, sports, or catching up on work. For many, the Sabbath feels like an outdated Old Testament regulation or a burdensome rule from which we have been freed.
But what does Scripture actually teach? Is the Fourth Commandment still relevant for Christians today? And if it is, what does faithful obedience look like under the new covenant in Christ? More specifically, how should those of us who affirm the authority of Scripture and the enduring value of the moral law understand and observe the Sabbath?
The Sabbath in Creation and Moral Law
To understand the Sabbath in our own day, we must go all the way back to the beginning—before Israel, before Mount Sinai, and before the giving of the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath was not something God created solely for the Jewish people. It began in the very first week of human history, and that tells us something significant. It is not merely a ceremonial law for a particular nation, but a pattern woven into the fabric of creation itself.
We read in Genesis: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on that day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day he rested from all the work of creation that he had accomplished” (Ge 2:1–3). These verses follow immediately after the creation account. After speaking the universe into existence and ordering all things in six days, God did something unexpected—he rested.
Of course, God did not rest because he was tired. As Isaiah reminds us, “The Creator... does not grow weary” (Isa 40:28). His rest was not about recovery but about completion and enjoyment. Then he blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy. He established a rhythm: six days of work followed by one day of rest.
It is important to notice that this seventh day is not introduced as a command, but as a gift. It was God’s idea, his design for how human life should flow. The pattern was not imposed on Adam and Eve as a burden, but built into the very structure of their lives. From the beginning, humanity was created to work and to rest in rhythm with the Creator.
Jesus affirmed this when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27). That is a crucial statement. He did not say the Sabbath was made for the Jews or for a particular season in redemptive history. He said it was made for man—for all of mankind. The Sabbath is a blessing rooted in creation, not culture. This becomes even more significant when we remember that Genesis 2 comes before the fall. The Sabbath was not given as a response to sin, but as part of God’s original design. It is not merely a remedy for brokenness, but a reflection of how life was meant to be from the very beginning.
Later, in Exodus, we see this creation pattern formalized as a moral command. God says, “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 must not do any work... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth... but on the seventh day he rested. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy” (Ex 20:8–11).
There is much to observe here. First, God commands his people to “remember” the Sabbath. This suggests the Sabbath was not a new idea. It was already known, likely preserved through oral tradition from Adam, Noah, and the patriarchs. Now it is being written in stone as part of God's moral law. And the basis for the command is not the Exodus or the covenant at Sinai. The reason given is creation. God worked for six days, rested on the seventh, and blessed that day. That is why we are called to do the same.
Just as the command “You shall not murder” is grounded in the sanctity of life made in God's image, the command to “remember the Sabbath” is grounded in the pattern God set at creation. It is not a ritual law confined to the old covenant. It is moral and enduring.
Some may ask, “If the Sabbath is part of the moral law, why do so many Christians treat it differently from the other commandments?” That is a fair question. No one claims, “I’m not under the law anymore, so I can steal or commit adultery.” Yet many are quick to set aside the Fourth Commandment. Often they argue that it belongs to the ceremonial law, like dietary restrictions or temple sacrifices. But this view overlooks something important. The Fourth Commandment appears in the very heart of the Ten Commandments—God’s moral law, given to all people for all time. It precedes the laws about rituals and sacrifices. It stands alongside “You shall not murder” and “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Of course, we must be careful not to slip into legalism. But we will return to that concern shortly.
The Sabbath Under the Old Covenant
As we move from Genesis into the rest of the Old Testament, we see that the Sabbath continues to play a central role in the life of God’s people. It is not only rooted in creation but also becomes a key element of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord. Under the old covenant, the Sabbath served both as a sign and as a test—a sign of God's covenant with his people and a test of their trust and obedience.
One of the clearest expressions of this is found in Exodus, where the Lord says, “Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you… The Israelites must observe the Sabbath, celebrating it as a perpetual covenant for the generations to come. It is 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” (Ex 31:13, 16–17).
Here, the Sabbath is explicitly called a sign of the covenant, much like circumcision. It was a visible, recurring reminder that Israel belonged to the Lord and was set apart from the nations. Every seventh day, they ceased their ordinary work and remembered that the Lord was both their Creator and Redeemer. By observing the Sabbath, they publicly confessed their dependence on him.
But it was more than symbolic. The Sabbath also functioned as a test of the heart. Would they trust God enough to rest? Would they set aside their striving and acknowledge that their provision and peace came from him, not from their own labor? In Exodus 16, even before the Ten Commandments were given, the Lord tested Israel with manna. He instructed them to gather twice as much on the sixth day and none on the seventh. When some disobeyed, he rebuked them, saying, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?” (Ex 16:28). The lesson was simple: trust and obey.
Over time, the Sabbath became one of the most visible markers of Jewish identity. While other nations labored every day, Israel rested every seventh day. While others served their gods with relentless toil, Israel declared by their rest that the Lord was their God and that his ways were good. In this way, the Sabbath served both as a proclamation of the Lord’s sovereignty and as a safeguard for the well-being of his people.
The prophets frequently addressed the people’s treatment of the Sabbath. When it was neglected or used for selfish gain, the Lord took it seriously. In Amos, for example, the Lord rebukes merchants who could hardly wait for the Sabbath to end so they could return to dishonest business practices: “When will the New Moon be over,” you say, “so that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, so that we may market wheat?”—skimping the measure, boosting the price, and cheating with dishonest scales (Am 8:5). Though their bodies paused for a day, their hearts were far from God.
Isaiah, by contrast, offers a more hopeful picture. “If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable… then you will delight yourself in the Lord” (Isa 58:13–14). This is what the Sabbath was always meant to be: a delight. Not a burden, but a joy-filled opportunity to draw near to God, to rest, to worship, and to rejoice in his goodness.
Sadly, Israel often failed to keep the Sabbath rightly. Over time, they turned it into either a day of legalism or a day of indifference. By the time of the exile, Sabbath-breaking was one of the reasons God brought judgment upon the nation. Even after the return from exile, the problem persisted. In Nehemiah’s day, people were treating the Sabbath like any other day. Nehemiah saw merchants selling goods in Jerusalem on the Sabbath and responded with righteous anger: “What is this wicked thing you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster upon us?” (Ne 13:17–18).
Jesus Christ and the Sabbath
As we turn to the New Testament, we find Jesus entering a world where the Sabbath remained a central part of religious life. Yet its meaning had become distorted. The Jewish leaders of his day, particularly the Pharisees, had surrounded Sabbath observance with layers of detailed regulations—rules that went far beyond what God had commanded. What began as a holy gift had become a heavy burden. So when Jesus spoke and acted concerning the Sabbath, it sparked immediate controversy. Yet his words and actions did not reject the Sabbath. Instead, he restored its true purpose. He did not abolish the Fourth Commandment. He clarified it, fulfilled it, and showed how it could be lived with joy.
One of the clearest examples of this comes in Mark. As Jesus and his disciples walk through a grainfield on the Sabbath, the disciples begin to pluck heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees object: “Look,” they say, “why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” (Mk 2:24). But what the disciples were doing was not forbidden in the law of Moses. God permitted hungry travelers to pluck grain from a neighbor’s field (Dt 23:25). The Pharisees, however, had added their own traditions, and in their view, this simple act counted as harvesting—work that was prohibited.
Jesus replies with both a lesson from Scripture and a declaration about himself. He reminds them of the time when David and his men, in need, entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence—bread that was normally reserved for the priests. His point is clear: human need takes precedence over ceremonial regulation. God desires mercy, not sacrifice. Then Jesus makes a remarkable statement: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27–28).
Jesus is saying that the Sabbath was given for the good of mankind. It is not a burden to bear, but a blessing to receive. God did not create man for the sake of Sabbath rules. He gave the Sabbath to serve human flourishing. And more than that, Jesus claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath. As the Messiah and Son of God, he has authority over it. He determines its meaning and purpose. And he does not abolish it. He fulfills it.
Immediately afterward, in Mark 3, Jesus enters the synagogue and heals a man with a withered hand—again, on the Sabbath. The Pharisees are watching, hoping to catch him violating their rules. Jesus turns to them and asks, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” (Mk 3:4). When they remain silent, he looks at them in grief and anger over their hardened hearts, then heals the man. Ironically, the Pharisees respond by beginning to plot his death—on the Sabbath.
This moment is significant. Jesus shows that doing good is not a violation of the Sabbath. It is at the very heart of the Sabbath’s purpose. The day is not meant to be a rigid observance but a day of mercy, healing, and restoration. Acts of necessity and compassion have always been appropriate on the Sabbath. Jesus simply brought that truth back into view. In fact, his healing illustrates the very rest the Sabbath points to—wholeness and restoration in both body and soul.
We see this pattern throughout the Gospels. Jesus often healed on the Sabbath—not to provoke conflict, but to reveal what the day was truly about. In Luke 13, he heals a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years. When the synagogue ruler objects, insisting that healing should occur on the other six days, Jesus replies, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day?” (Lk 13:15–16).
Jesus exposes their hypocrisy. They would care for animals on the Sabbath—acts of necessity and mercy—but they resented his compassion toward a suffering human being. The Sabbath is for life, not for legalism. It is a day to encounter God’s grace, not just follow a set of rules.
But there is something deeper at work in all of this. Jesus is not merely correcting bad theology. He is pointing to himself. The Sabbath was always meant to be more than a day. It was a shadow of something greater—the true rest that only God can give. Just before one of the Sabbath controversies, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). That is no coincidence. He is offering the very rest the Sabbath anticipated: rest for the soul, rest from striving, rest in him.
In Jesus, we find the fulfillment of everything the Sabbath pointed to. He is our rest. He is the one who delivers us from slavery to sin and invites us to rest in his finished work. This does not mean we discard the rhythm of one day in seven. As we have seen, that pattern was established at creation, before the fall and before the ceremonial law. Jesus did not erase that rhythm. He fulfilled its purpose and transformed its focus.
As the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus stripped away man-made burdens, restored the day’s original intent, and filled it with gospel joy. The Sabbath is a gift, not a test. It is a day for doing good, not merely avoiding work. A day for worship, for rest, and for mercy. A day that points back to creation, forward to glory, and upward to Christ.
When we consider how to observe the Lord’s Day, we must begin with Jesus. He is our Lord. He is our rest.
From the Seventh Day to the First Day
One of the most common questions Christians ask about the Sabbath is this: if the Fourth Commandment calls for rest on the seventh day, why do we gather and rest on the first day of the week—Sunday—instead of Saturday? Did the early church simply make that change for convenience, or is there a deeper, biblical reason for the shift?
To answer that, we must consider what happened on the first day of the week. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb” (Mk 16:2). That was the day everything changed. The resurrection of Jesus marked the dawn of a new creation. The old had passed away, and the new had come. It makes perfect sense, then, that this new reality would be commemorated with a new day.
We also see the pattern of first-day worship established in the early church. In Acts, the believers gathered together “on the first day of the week” (Ac 20:7). In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul instructs the church to set aside their offerings “on the first day of every week” (1Co 16:2). And in Revelation, John writes that he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Rev 1:10). That phrase—“the Lord’s Day”—became the way the early church referred to Sunday, the day that belonged uniquely to the risen Lord.
The day changed, but the principle did not. One day in seven is still to be set apart as holy to the Lord.
The Lord’s Day in the New Covenant
It is important to understand that Christians are not required to observe the Sabbath in exactly the same way ancient Israel did. We no longer live under the Mosaic civil or ceremonial law, and we are not bound by the shadows that pointed forward to Christ. At the same time, we must not swing to the other extreme and treat the Fourth Commandment as though it no longer applies. The real question is this: how does the Sabbath continue under the new covenant?
The answer lies in understanding the Sabbath as both moral and positive law. This has been the consistent view of the Reformed tradition, and it is clearly expressed in the 1689 London Baptist Confession. In chapter 22, paragraph 7, it states: “It is the law of nature that, in general, a proportion of time set apart for the worship of God is required of all men. So, by his Word in a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment... God has particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him.”
That language is intentional. The Sabbath is moral because it belongs to God’s unchanging law—just like “You shall not murder” or “You shall not steal.” It reflects a universal principle rooted in creation: human beings, made in God’s image, are to work for six days and devote one day to rest and worship. This rhythm is not cultural or temporary. It is part of how God designed us to live.
At the same time, the Sabbath is also positive law, meaning the specific day set apart is not determined by natural reason, but by divine revelation. The exact day is not something we would discover on our own. God had to reveal it. Under the old covenant, the appointed day was the seventh day of the week. Under the new covenant, that day has shifted. By the authority of Christ and his apostles, God has appointed the first day of the week as the day of rest and worship—the day we now call the Lord’s Day.
The pattern changed in the New Testament not because of human preference or innovation, but because of the reality of Christ’s finished work.
The author of Hebrews speaks directly to this when he writes, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Heb 4:9). The Greek word translated “Sabbath rest” appears only here in the New Testament and carries the idea of an ongoing Sabbath observance. The writer connects this rest to creation, to Israel’s entry into the promised land, and ultimately to the person and work of Christ. While the final fulfillment of Sabbath rest will come in eternity, there is still a real and present way in which God’s people enter into that rest now. Throughout church history, most Christians have understood this to refer to the Lord’s Day.
This understanding helps protect us from two common errors. On one hand, some believers treat Sunday like any other day. Church may be on the schedule, but it is just one activity among many. There is no sense that the day is sacred or set apart. On the other hand, some fall into a kind of legalism, turning Sunday into a day of rigid rules and joyless restriction. Both approaches miss the heart of the Sabbath.
The Lord’s Day is meant to be a delight (Isa 58:13). It is a day for worship, rest, fellowship, service, and reflection. It is not meant to be burdensome, but it is meant to be holy. It is not a day for doing whatever we please, nor is it a day for trying to impress God with our rule-keeping. It is a day to enjoy God and the gospel. It is a day to step away from the ordinary and remember who we are and whose we are.
We should also remember that the Lord’s Day is not merely about resting from physical labor. It is about spiritual refreshment. John Owen once wrote, “The Sabbath was given for the increase of the knowledge of God, and to promote holiness.” That should shape how we spend the day. It should be filled with both public and private exercises of worship: hearing the preaching of God’s Word, singing, praying, receiving the Lord’s Supper, fellowshipping with God’s people, and continuing the worship at home through reading, studying, and discussing the things of God.
Keeping the Lord’s Day means resting in the finished work of Christ and giving him the honor he deserves. It is a time to recalibrate our hearts. To step out of the noise and hurry of the week and remember that we are not defined by our productivity, but by the grace of God. The Sabbath is not about doing less for its own sake. It is about making space for what matters most.
In Christ, we still say, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex 20:8).
Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy: Biblical and Practical Guidance
But how do we actually keep the Sabbath holy? What does Sabbath observance look like in the life of a Christian under the new covenant?
Here are six practical guidelines.
1. Prepare for the Day
The Fourth Commandment begins with the word “Remember” (Ex 20:8). That is, in part, a call to plan ahead. If the Lord’s Day is truly holy—set apart for rest and worship—then we must prepare for it.
Consider the Israelites gathering manna in the wilderness. On the sixth day, they collected twice as much so they would not need to work on the Sabbath (Ex 16:22–30). The same principle applies to us. We can honor the Lord’s Day more fully by preparing meals in advance, finishing chores or errands before Sunday, and getting to bed early enough on Saturday night so that we come to worship refreshed rather than exhausted.
Preparing well allows us to receive the day with joy, not with stress.
2. Gather with God’s People
The most important way to keep the Lord’s Day holy is to gather for corporate worship. Scripture exhorts us not to neglect meeting together, “as some have made a habit, but to encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25). The early church met regularly on the first day of the week (Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2), and so should we.
Worship is not merely one activity among many on Sunday—it is the heart of the day. It is when we hear the Word of God read and preached, lift our voices in song, confess our sins, receive the Lord’s Supper, and join with the saints in glorifying the risen Christ. There is no substitute for that.
3. Rest from Ordinary Work
The Sabbath command calls us to “do no work” (Ex 20:10). This does not mean we must be idle. It means we set aside our regular employment and daily labor so that our hearts and minds may be fixed more fully on the Lord. As Thomas Watson wrote, “On the Sabbath, we must rest from our calling, that we may be more fit for holy duties.”
In a culture that prizes productivity and constant activity, this feels countercultural. The world tells us to hustle. God tells us to stop. To trust him. To rest.
Of course, there are legitimate exceptions. Jesus taught that it is lawful to do works of necessity and mercy on the Sabbath (Mt 12:1–12). Feeding a baby, caring for the sick, or putting out a fire are not violations. But not every task is necessary. Mowing the lawn, catching up on emails, or doing laundry can usually wait. When we say no to those things, we create space to say yes to something better.
4. Cease from Secular Recreation
This is often where the questions begin: Is it wrong to watch sports on Sunday? What about going to a restaurant or taking the kids to the park? These are valid questions, and we should approach them not with legalism, but with a desire to honor the Lord.
Isaiah writes, “If you turn your foot from doing your pleasure on my holy day... and call the Sabbath a delight... then you will delight yourself in the Lord” (Isa 58:13–14). The point is not that we must avoid all enjoyment, but that we are to delight in the Lord, not in worldly distractions. The goal is not to make the day gloomy but to guard it from becoming just another Saturday.
This may mean saying no to entertainment, shopping, or sports. It may mean limiting our use of phones or digital media. But it also takes wisdom. A quiet walk in nature while meditating on Scripture may refresh the soul. A peaceful meal with family can reflect the joy of Christian fellowship. What matters is the heart: is this drawing me nearer to Christ, or distracting me from him?
5. Devote the Day to Worship, Fellowship, and Mercy
The Fourth Commandment is not only about what we cease from doing—it is about what we actively pursue. The Lord’s Day is a time to seek God.
This includes public worship, but also private and family worship. Spend time in prayer. Read Scripture. Sing hymns and psalms. Reflect on the sermon. Ask your spouse what the Lord is teaching them. Talk with your children about the gospel. Use the extra time to draw near to God and to one another.
It is also a time for Christian fellowship. Open your home. Share a meal with fellow believers. Encourage someone who is struggling. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.
And do not forget works of mercy. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and said, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Mt 12:12). Visit someone who is lonely. Call a friend in need. Write a note of encouragement. These acts are not distractions from Sabbath rest—they are part of it.
6. Make It a Delight, Not a Duty
Above all, we must remember that the Lord’s Day is a gift. It is not about rule-keeping. It is about rejoicing in the Lord. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps 118:24). That is how we should approach Sunday.
If the day feels like a burden, we may need to revisit our understanding. God did not give us the Sabbath to weigh us down, but to lift us up. To free us from the tyranny of the urgent. To remind us of who we are in Christ. To give us rest for our souls.
So do not focus on what you cannot do. Focus on what you get to do. You get to worship. You get to rest. You get to feast on the Word. You get to gather with the people of God. You get to enjoy Christ and his grace in a special way.
Each week, as Sunday comes around, hear again the invitation of your Savior: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). That is what the Lord’s Day is about—resting in Christ, rejoicing in his work, and remembering that we are not our own. We belong to him.
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