Question:

75.2—I have a question about the Sabbath day.  I’m witnessing now to a guy at work and going through the Ten Commandments with him to show that he is a sinner.  What do you do when you come to number 4?  It’s in the Ten, yet most Christians don’t keep it.  Some evangelists will ask the person if they’ve given 1 day out of 7 to God and say that’s really what God wants.  That just doesn’t sound quite right to me. 

75.2—The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. On that day of the first week God “rested from all His work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:3). He did this long before the Sabbath was given to Israel as an institution on the night they were delivered from the Egyptians: “The seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you” (Exodus 12:16). And later the Sabbath was given as a law to Israel: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

The reason most Christians do not keep the Sabbath Day, which is Saturday, is because Christians were never put under the Law of Moses. “We are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:15). God put His earthly people Israel under the law to see if anyone would keep His law. He promised long life to all who would keep it, but all died. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19).

Possibly this is why you are using the law to try to show the man you are witnessing to that he is a sinner. It may be good to show him that God chose Israel, the Jewish people, as a sample of humanity to test all mankind. They did not keep the law, which includes keeping the Sabbath, and so “all the world [became] guilty before God.” A cook doesn’t have to eat the whole batch of soup to see if it has enough seasoning; she just has to taste it! And in a sense this is what God has done. He tested the Jew by putting him under His law and since he did not keep it, “all the world” is guilty before God.

A few more thoughts about the Sabbath: Man never entered into God’s rest. Sin spoiled all rest, and sin made it necessary that God work anew if man is to share the rest of God. Jesus said: “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17). Anticipating the cross in His prayer to His Father Jesus said:  “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:4). Jesus now says: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is the rest of conscience from the guilt of our sins which we receive when we come to Him by faith and trust Him and the work He did of bearing the punishment for our sins on the cross of Calvary.

In the next verses the Lord offers rest of heart to all who have rest of conscience: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29,30). Everyone who has “peace with God” (Romans 5:1) can enjoy “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) by yoking ourselves with Christ to do the Father’s will.

May each reader know the joy of rest of conscience and rest of heart, which the Lord desires to give to us!