No, Sunday is not the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a distinctive partΒ of Israelβs program that God gave the chosen nation at Mt. Sinai.
Neh. 9:13,14: βThou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakestΒ with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, andΒ true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known untoΒ them thy holy sabbathβ¦β
The Lord instituted the Sabbath as a gift for Israel. The wordΒ Sabbath means βrest.β God gave His people Israel a day of rest eachΒ week to rejuvenate their bodies and minds. It was to be a time of rest,Β feasting, and enjoying family. More importantly, He gave it in order toΒ break the day-in, day-out cycle of life, so that Israel would not forgetΒ their God and would worship and give thanks to Him on that day.
According to Exodus 20:11, the Hebrews were to cease all workΒ because the Creator βrestedβ after the sixth day of creation on βtheΒ seventh day.β So Israel was to follow the Creatorβs example for theirΒ week, making the Sabbath a day to commemorate the Lordβs creationΒ of the world and to celebrate His provision.
Ex. 31:16,17: βWherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath,Β to observe the Sabbathβ¦for a perpetual covenant. It is a signΒ between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LordΒ made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested.β
The Sabbath was a sign, a distinguishing mark, of Godβs chosenΒ people. It was βa sign between [God] andβ¦Israel.β The Sabbath wasΒ for Israel, and it was given to Israel under the Law.
Today, we are not under the Law, we are under Grace (Rom. 6:14).Β We are not Israel; we are the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22,23). The SabbathΒ is not to be observed under Grace. Paul gives no instruction forΒ the Body of Christ to observe the Sabbath. Instead, he speaks of theΒ Church gathering βupon the first day of the weekβ (I Cor. 16:2). SundayΒ is not the Sabbath and should never be called the Sabbath. Doing soΒ confuses what βthe first day of the weekβ signifies under Grace, andΒ what βthe seventh dayβ signified under the Law.
The Sabbath speaks of rest after work and relates to the Law andΒ the work required by those under the Law in Law-keeping, with theΒ works, observation of feasts, and sacrifices that Israel was commandedΒ to do continually by faith. The Sabbath foreshadows the rest thatΒ Israel will enjoy in her end times, in her millennial rest within theΒ earthly kingdom.
Sunday worship on the first day of the week speaks to a rest thatΒ takes place before work and relates to Grace and the rest we, the BodyΒ of Christ, have in Christ and His finished work right up front. HavingΒ trusted that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose againΒ (I Cor. 15:3,4), we are βcomplete in [Christ]β (Col. 2:10). Salvation is aΒ βgiftβ that we receive the moment we believe; it is βnot of worksβ (Eph.Β 2:8,9). For most working people, our work week follows after the firstΒ day of the week. And under Grace, because we are saved, βworksβΒ follow after out of joy and gratitude for our accomplished salvationΒ in Christ (Eph. 2:10).
The Sabbath commemorated the Lordβs creation of the world, whileΒ our Sunday worship commemorates the Lordβs resurrection each week,Β who rose again on βthe first day of the weekβ (Luke 24:1). Thus as weΒ meet on Sundays each new week, we do so in worship of our living,Β risen Savior, and the newness of life we have in Him (Rom. 6:4). source
