Is Sunday the Sabbath?

Words mean things. Or at least they should. Especially when we’re talking about biblical issues.

For example, take the word “jealous.” It can mean the same thing as “envious,” and that’s how I tend to use that word. When someone posts a photo of themselves having fun at the beach, I may tell them that I’m jealous. What I mean is that I wish I had what they had, or could do what they’re doing. But the biblical meaning of the word “jealous” is to “closely guard a possession,” a little like Golem (from Lord of the Rings) was jealous of his precious ring. The Bible often refers to God as being a jealous God, meaning that He holds His people closely and doesn’t want them to follow any other gods. When we talk about God being jealous, we need to make the distinction that our God is not envious of us; instead, He loves us, vigilantly guards us, and wants us—in turn—to follow only Him.

One biblical word we tend to use incorrectly is “Sabbath.” Most folks tend to equate Sabbath as being Sunday. It may surprise you to learn that Sabbath—when referring to a day—is actually Saturday.

Our word “Sabbath” is based on the words shabbat in Hebrew and sabbaton in Greek. The Hebrew word means “day of rest” and likely comes from the root word shavat, meaning “cease” or “rest.” The Greek word means “seventh day” or “week.” In Greek and Hebrew, they point to the seventh day of the week: Saturday.

Why? Because God worked on His creation for six days, and then ceased work (or “rested”) on the seventh day. Based on this seven-day model, God commanded the Israelites to cease work on the seventh day, which is Saturday.

But wait! Didn’t Jesus or someone else in the New Testament say that the Christian Sabbath changed to Sunday? Well, not really. Saturday is still referred to as the Sabbath in the New Testament. But there is evidence that the New Testament church did meet—at least sometimes—on Sundays (e.g., Acts 20:7). By the second century (after all the writings in the New Testament), some churches held their services on Saturday (the Sabbath), while others celebrated them on Sunday (and a few did both!). The first day of the week—Sunday—began to be referred to as “the Lord’s day.” In one sense, every day is the Lord’s day. But Christ’s followers referred to Sunday as the Lord’s day because that’s the day Jesus was resurrected and rose from the tomb. What began as a Sunday celebration of Christ’s resurrection slowly morphed into the day when most Christians worship together.

So Sunday and Sabbath are not the same. But should we still observe the Sabbath? Regardless of where you stand on the Ten Commandments, there’s little doubt that God’s directive to observe a Sabbath day of rest is for our own good. Should that day of rest be on Saturday or Sunday? That’s debatable and—to a certain extent—depends on a person’s situation (there are plenty of jobs that require one to work on Sundays). My personal understanding is that as long as a person sets aside a day to retreat from their normal job and enjoy some relaxation, it doesn’t really matter what day it is. But here’s the kicker: regardless of the day you choose to rest, make sure you do it for the right reason. Grudgingly taking a day off from work (especially if you chastise those who don’t rest on the same day you do) is wrong. And remember: ultimately, our Sabbath rest is found in Christ!