What Did Jesus Say About Sabbath Is It Still a Practice for Christians of Today?
1) Direct Answer
Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, and that He is Lord of the Sabbath. For Christians today, the true Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ—resting from our own works by the Holy Spirit. We are not under a legal command to keep a certain day, but we should gladly gather to worship and do good, without judging one another over days.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Jesus’ words:
- “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath… the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28).
- He defended His disciples plucking grain and healed on the Sabbath, showing “it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:1-13).
- Christ gives the real rest:
- “Come unto Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-29).
- “There remaineth therefore a rest [sabbatismos] to the people of God… he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works” (Hebrews 4:9-10).
- Not bound to sabbath days as law:
- “Let no man therefore judge you… in respect of… sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).
- “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5-6).
- Believers still assemble:
- They gathered on the first day (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2), and we are told not to forsake assembling (Hebrews 10:25)—but this is worship, not bondage to a legal Sabbath.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Now notice: Jesus didn’t cancel mercy to protect a ritual. He revealed the purpose—Sabbath was made to bless man, not bind him.
- You see, the weekly Sabbath under the Law was a shadow. Christ is the substance. When He gives you the Holy Spirit, you enter God’s rest—Sabbath life every day, not just one day.
- If righteousness came by a calendar, why did Scripture say not to let anyone judge you in sabbath days? And why did Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, place doing good above strict observance?
- Therefore, Christians are free from the yoke of a legal Sabbath. We honor God by resting in Christ, walking in the Spirit daily, assembling with believers, and doing good any day.
4) Reinforcing Statement
It’s not about a day holding you; it’s about the Lord holding you. Enter His rest, live holy every day, gather with the saints, and let no one bring you back under shadows when the Light Himself has come.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Questions and Answers, part 1
54-0103M §1
That's fine, and I'm certainly happy to be here this morning to try to answer a few of these questions. And I see some more has come in. And so we're... It may take me just a little bit of time to kind of read some of these, because I just got them this morning. And I want to express my feeling of being here to worship God today on this beautiful Sabbath that He's give us to come together. And a little place that we gather in and for the pastor, our brother, Brother Neville---a servant of God---and for all the deac...
Church Ages, part 7: The Sardisean Church Age
60-1209 §106
I remember one day when a little boy, about eighteen years old, running from the Lord. I went out West. My father was a rider, and I wanted to go out and break the horses. There was something hungering in my heart. Oh, I tell you! I went down to the Baptist preacher. He said, "Stand up, and just say 'Jesus is the Son of God.' We'll put your name on the book." That didn't satisfy me. Everywhere I went, somebody... A Seventh-day Adventist, went to see him---a fine man, Brother Barker, lovely brother. He said, "Billy,...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
63-0604 §4
We believe that all these great benefits, that we enjoy today in this Christian economy we have, was all purchased at Calvary by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We believe that "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we were healed." It's all a past tense. It's something God has done for us at Calvary. And as Christians we have the right to enjoy these blessings that He has purchased for us.
We would see Jesus
62-0727 §86
Now, all right. Now, be real reverent. Don't move around, please. Now in the name of Jesus Christ, I take every spirit in here under my control, for God's sake and the sake of Jesus Christ. Now, if you follow the meetings anywhere, you know what happens. Something could happen terribly. You know; you've seen it happen, see. So sit real still, and just quickly answer, do whatever He tells you to do now. The angel of the Lord is near. "Sir, we would see Jesus." Now any of you ever see the picture of that angel they g...
Church Ages, part 2: The Patmos Vision
60-1204E §58
Now we come to another place here where they get two different ideas. Now I may be wrong. If I am, God forgive me. But I'm going to disagree with the Seventh Day Adventists that say that it was the seventh day he was in, the Lord's day. The Seventh Day Adventist brethren, and many of them, claim that it was the Sabbath day that he called the Lord's day. The Christian church calls it, the Lord's day, Sunday, the first day. And we notice a lot of times that the Christian church yet today, the Protestant people, refer...