How does a Christian keep the Sabbath Holy?

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Mar 6, 2021
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#1
There is a lot the Bible admonishes us to Not Do on the Sabbath. My dilemma is what can we DO? I spend some time in prayer, some time reading the Word, and then I am stumped. I physically cannot sit around all day and end up just doing things (renovations on house etc) that are self-serving. What is acceptable to God on this day? What sort of things do YOU do to keep the Sabbath?
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,222
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#2
There is a lot the Bible admonishes us to Not Do on the Sabbath. My dilemma is what can we DO? I spend some time in prayer, some time reading the Word, and then I am stumped. I physically cannot sit around all day and end up just doing things (renovations on house etc) that are self-serving. What is acceptable to God on this day? What sort of things do YOU do to keep the Sabbath?
Read your Bible and learn what it means to be a Christian. That's what I'd do.
 

Karlon

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2023
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#4
1. Always search, for the remainder of your life, how you can admit, identify, recognize & correct anything in your life. 2. do it in a joyful manner, even smiling while you are cogitating on your faults. ( a constant smile on one's face works big change in attitude & personality). 3. always be calm, loose & relaxed in thought, speaking & action. God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit love joking too. So learn to joke around with them. 4. Learn the guarding , protecting & securing Jesus proves in your life along with the angels He has assigned to you. That's a great start & you'll learn more as you advance along.
 

Bruce_Leiter

Active member
Feb 17, 2023
427
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#6
There is a lot the Bible admonishes us to Not Do on the Sabbath. My dilemma is what can we DO? I spend some time in prayer, some time reading the Word, and then I am stumped. I physically cannot sit around all day and end up just doing things (renovations on house etc) that are self-serving. What is acceptable to God on this day? What sort of things do YOU do to keep the Sabbath?
Now, you're asking about the difference between the Old and New Testaments (covenants). Jesus did away with the external form of the law, including the Sabbath Day regulations. For example, he and his disciples were going through a wheat field, and his followers were picking the heads of wheat and eating them, a practice allowed by the law. But the Pharisees had set up over 600 rules about the law. They criticized the disciples for their practice as being harvesting on the Sabbath. However, Jesus said that the law was made for humans, not humans for the law. That is, human need was a higher principle than outward regulations. The four principles on the Sabbath (now the Lord's Day) that I see in the laws about the Sabbath are group worship, physical rest from daily work, and love for neighbor--all adding up to love for God, the highest principle. It's up to each person's conscience as to what shape those activities take, beyond group worship (Romans 14), but the inner principles of the Old Testament's laws carry over to the New Testament. I hope this answer helps you.
 
Mar 6, 2021
72
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#8
Now, you're asking about the difference between the Old and New Testaments (covenants). Jesus did away with the external form of the law, including the Sabbath Day regulations. For example, he and his disciples were going through a wheat field, and his followers were picking the heads of wheat and eating them, a practice allowed by the law. But the Pharisees had set up over 600 rules about the law. They criticized the disciples for their practice as being harvesting on the Sabbath. However, Jesus said that the law was made for humans, not humans for the law. That is, human need was a higher principle than outward regulations. The four principles on the Sabbath (now the Lord's Day) that I see in the laws about the Sabbath are group worship, physical rest from daily work, and love for neighbor--all adding up to love for God, the highest principle. It's up to each person's conscience as to what shape those activities take, beyond group worship (Romans 14), but the inner principles of the Old Testament's laws carry over to the New Testament. I hope this answer helps you.
This thoughtful answer confuses me. I agree, the law has been done away with, but not the commandments. Keeping Sabbath, or the Lord's day is a commandment.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
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#9
No, I am not. I'm just a stumped Christian trying to keep it right. Are we not directed to keep the Sabbath Holy,too?
I'm sure you have your reasons for thinking we're commanded to keep the Sabbath (and suggesting we all must do so). I'm not interested in adding fuel to the fire. Nor am I keen on banging my head against a wall . . . Later.
 

KohenMatt

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2013
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#10
Just about with any area of obedience God calls us to walk in, it takes time and prayer to discover how God wants us to honor the Sabbath. Our relationship with God is ever-changing and growing, and setting apart the Sabbath for us has had many different looks over the years.

Currently, this is what my family does as regularly as we're able to...
We start Friday night with a special dinner that is usually a little more formal dinner than the rest of the week. We all do a hand washing thanking God for washing away any sin or uncleanliess that we have experienced that week. But we also thank Him for the washing of Jesus' blood over us. My wife and I pray over our sons and daughters and bless them. We all sing the Sabbath Prayer song (see Fiddler on the Roof.)
The next day we head to church for worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship and a meal afterwards. We're usually at church for 4 hours or so, and usually, we fellowship at someone's house after church and into the night.

Our 2 older kids are on the High School Cross Country and Track teams and sometimes have meets on the Sabbath. That's something that we're wrestling through right now as we try to set apart the Sabbath apart from all other days.

Praise be to God, I haven't had to work on the Sabbath for over 17 years and will make that a requirement at whatever job I'm blessed with next.
 
Mar 6, 2021
72
45
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#11
I'm sure you have your reasons for thinking we're commanded to keep the Sabbath (and suggesting we all must do so). I'm not interested in adding fuel to the fire. Nor am I keen on banging my head against a wall . . . Later.
Is that not one of the 10 commandments? I genuinely don't understand why my question frustrates you.
 
Mar 6, 2021
72
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#12
Just about with any area of obedience God calls us to walk in, it takes time and prayer to discover how God wants us to honor the Sabbath. Our relationship with God is ever-changing and growing, and setting apart the Sabbath for us has had many different looks over the years.

Currently, this is what my family does as regularly as we're able to...
We start Friday night with a special dinner that is usually a little more formal dinner than the rest of the week. We all do a hand washing thanking God for washing away any sin or uncleanliess that we have experienced that week. But we also thank Him for the washing of Jesus' blood over us. My wife and I pray over our sons and daughters and bless them. We all sing the Sabbath Prayer song (see Fiddler on the Roof.)
The next day we head to church for worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship and a meal afterwards. We're usually at church for 4 hours or so, and usually, we fellowship at someone's house after church and into the night.

Our 2 older kids are on the High School Cross Country and Track teams and sometimes have meets on the Sabbath. That's something that we're wrestling through right now as we try to set apart the Sabbath apart from all other days.

Praise be to God, I haven't had to work on the Sabbath for over 17 years and will make that a requirement at whatever job I'm blessed with next.
Oh, how beautiful this sounds!
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,222
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#13
Is that not one of the 10 commandments? I genuinely don't understand why my question frustrates you.
Sorry, you'll have to find someone else to debate this with.
 

Walter

Well-known member
Jul 20, 2022
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Washington
firstthings1sttab.tripod.com
#14
This thoughtful answer confuses me. I agree, the law has been done away with, but not the commandments. Keeping Sabbath, or the Lord's day is a commandment.
Hello BeALamp, Our understanding of keeping the Sabbath Day Holy is simple once you get used to it as far as the scriptures.

But we suggest to follow His steps, in not doing the things on the Sabbath that you do in your normal 6 days, ok?

Leviticus 23 KJV - And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, - Bible Gateway, Luke 4 KJV - And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost - Bible Gateway , Acts 17 KJV - Now when they had passed through - Bible Gateway

Love, Walter and Debbie
 

Walter

Well-known member
Jul 20, 2022
1,282
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Washington
firstthings1sttab.tripod.com
#15
There is a lot the Bible admonishes us to Not Do on the Sabbath. My dilemma is what can we DO? I spend some time in prayer, some time reading the Word, and then I am stumped. I physically cannot sit around all day and end up just doing things (renovations on house etc) that are self-serving. What is acceptable to God on this day? What sort of things do YOU do to keep the Sabbath?
Hello Be ALamp, I meant to use this for post #14, thank you, Walter
 

Inquisitor

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2022
2,822
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#16
No, I am not. I'm just a stumped Christian trying to keep it right. Are we not directed to keep the Sabbath Holy,too?
Your really saying that salvation is through Jesus plus obedience to the law.
 

KohenMatt

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2013
4,054
257
83
#17
This thoughtful answer confuses me. I agree, the law has been done away with, but not the commandments. Keeping Sabbath, or the Lord's day is a commandment.
In reality, the entire Bible, the New Testament included, is full of instructions and commandments that we would be wise to obey. And even expected to obey if we are to be doers of the word. The New Testament alone has hundreds, maybe even up to 1,000 commands for a Christian to obey. But few would suggest that obedience to those commandments has an effect on our salvation. For the New Testament Christian, obedience to the commandments of the Old Testament are just as applicable for practical living.
 

Gideon300

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2021
5,263
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#18
There is a lot the Bible admonishes us to Not Do on the Sabbath. My dilemma is what can we DO? I spend some time in prayer, some time reading the Word, and then I am stumped. I physically cannot sit around all day and end up just doing things (renovations on house etc) that are self-serving. What is acceptable to God on this day? What sort of things do YOU do to keep the Sabbath?
The sabbath no longer applies as in the letter of the law. People need a day of rest. Israel was an agrarian society so their rest was physical. An office worker may be better off doing gardening or wood work.

The sabbath rest for the born again believer is spiritual, not natural. (Hebrews 4:9). God finished His creation in 6 days then rested. God, in and through Jesus, finished His new creation through the death and resurrection of His only Son. We need not strive in our own strength because Jesus said, "It is finished". The Law demands that we do something. Grace is God doing for us what we cannot do for yourselves. If we are trying to be good Christians, we will wear ourselves out and we will fail. When we realise that God has given us Jesus to be all that we should be but cannot be, we will quit trying and start trusting. God is not pleased with our striving. He is pleased with Jesus in us. Let Jesus do the living and all will be well.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
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#19
For the New Testament Christian, obedience to the commandments of the Old Testament are just as applicable for practical living.
There's no doubt that many OT commandments could still be applicable, but there are many others that would not be applicable, because the temple does not exist and the Levitical priesthood is null and void.

The principles in the commandment to keep the Sabbath have been transferred to the observation of the Lord's Day (Rev 1;10). But worship is the primary objective, then the preaching of the Gospel, then the teaching of the Word, then good works, and then rest. Paul waited seven days to meet with the Christians at Troas. Then they observed "the breaking of bread" (the Lord's Supper), and then Paul preached until midnight. Paul also said that the Sabbath days were "shadows" because the reality is Christ, and the rest that believers have in Him. That is the true Sabbath.

Jesus of Nazareth deliberately chose to heal on Sabbath days to teach the Jews a lesson. These were good works, which were not forbidden on Sabbath days. Indeed the priests baked the show bread on Sabbath days and replaced the previous batch on that day. But they hated Him for it. At the same time He went to the synagogues to join the Jews for worship and the reading of the Word.

The Lord of the Sabbath also established the first day of the week as the day of Christian worship. That is because He rose from the dead on that day, and it was to be commemorated weekly. Justin Martyr (2nd century) describes this in detail.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
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#20
Nowhere in the Word has the Seventh Day been changed to the first day of creation..

The laws that are yet to be observed are now inscribed upon our hearts, not on stone, therefore we know the T"en Commandments are of Love, and our Maker is Love.

Jesus, Yeshua, teaches, if there is not mercy in the law, we may consider that law forgone.

The Old Testament Christian should be the same as the New Testament Christian for the law and the prophets point to Jesus Yeshua.. After all we are the True Israel of God, by translation