TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER
Colossians 2:16 and 17 state plainly that no one has the right to judge believers regarding festivals, new moons or Sabbath observance, since these practices were shadows pointing toward Christ. This passage sets aside the ceremonial requirements attached to the Sabbath. The Old Testament Sabbath commemorated God’s rest after creation, but the early church shifted its gathering to the first day of the week to honour a different event entirely: the resurrection of Jesus. Revelation 1 refers to this day as the Lord’s Day.
Old Testament Sabbath regulations cannot simply be transferred onto Sunday worship, since the New Testament does not treat Sunday as a replacement Sabbath under the same legal requirements. Every day belongs to the Lord, and believers can worship him at any time. Even so, setting apart a specific day to focus on Christ’s resurrection remains a valuable practice for the church, offering a rhythm of corporate worship without reviving Old Testament ceremonial law.
Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
Hebrews 4:9-10
