What is Required to "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy?"

[ServantOfKing]

Recently I have been more and more sensitive to the subject of keeping the Lord's Day holy. Some reformed friends I have see no problem with eating out, shopping, or doing home/housework on Sundays. The other bunch refuse to eat out, go to the grocery store, or do any type of work on Sundays.
I am seeking advice in how to develop guidelines (not legalistic guidelines, just Biblically based ones) on what is and is not appropriate for the sabbath day. How do you determine if something is "breaking the Sabbath?"

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

This is a good question to ask. It always helps to return to first principles: what is the purpose of the Christian Sabbath?

Out of a seven-day week God has set one day apart to be sanctified unto Him. That is not to say we are not required to serve God every day of the week, but the Fourth Commandment makes a distinction between God's appointed holy day and the other days of the week.

Holy means set apart or sanctified or consecrated unto God. It is a day which commemorates God's resting from his works of creation and the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death by his resurrection. We are called to give God the glory on his appointed day.

We do so, according to the commandment of the Lord, by setting aside our lawful and normal activities and instead devoting ourselves to worship in the public assembly of the saints, as well as in private and with our families, as much as possible -- ie., works of piety.

The Bible teaches that there are exceptions to this duty, which are consistent with the perfect law of the Lord: besides works of piety, works of necessity and mercy are also lawful on the Lord's Day. This includes food preparation (which ought to be minimized so as to avoid hinderance of other duties), rest, assistance to those in need, etc. The Sabbath was made for man, to be a blessing to him both spiritually and physically, not man for the Sabbath.

That is why guidelines are needed rather than a Pharisaical approach to Sabbath-keeping. As I said in another thread:

Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot
It's not possible in our Sabbath-breaking society to abstain from every thing that others do on the Lord's Day which they shouldn't be doing. Mail travels on the Lord's Day (and in some cases is delivered on the Lord's Day); does that mean one shouldn't read the mail that is delivered on Monday? I know that Stonewall Jackson was very meticulous in this regard, but it is not possible to filter out the sin of others in every respect. We should focus first and foremost on ourselves and whether what it is that we are doing in fact breaks the Lord's Day by intruding our own desires and pleasures upon it.

I agree that true Sabbath-keeping is not a list of do's and don'ts, but is exemplified in Augustine's famous saying, \"Love God as do as thou wilt.\"

However, we can summarize the Ten Commandments as \"Love God and love your neighbor\" and still recognize that it is precisely a list of do's and don'ts. We need to think of God's law on both levels (the practical and the abstract).

We ought to examine ourselves as to what is so important that it would hinder our communion with the Lord on His holy day. The balance between Pharisaical legalism and antinomian looseness is a fine line to walk, but walk it we must. That is what it means to be holy in a fallen world.

[Edited on 17-1-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]

See Sabbath Breaking

There are many good treatments on Sabbath-keeping by Reformed men, some of which may be found here. I would start with the Westminster Standards.

Westminster Confession, Chap. 21:

7. As it is of the law of nature that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:a which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,b which in Scripture is called the Lord's day,c and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.d

a. Exod 20:8, 10-11; Isa 56:2, 4, 6-7. \"¢ b. Gen 2:2-3; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:1-2. \"¢ c. Rev 1:10. \"¢ d. Exod 20:8, 10 with Mat 5:17-18.

8. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations;a but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.b

a. Exod 20:8; 16:23, 25-26, 29-30; 31:15-17; Isa 58:13; Neh 13:15-22. \"¢ b. Isa 58:13; Mat 12:1-13.

Westminster Larger Catechism:

Q116: What is required in the fourth commandment?
A116: The fourth commandment requires of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word, expressly one whole day in seven; which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the world; which is the Christian sabbath,[1] and in the New Testament called The Lord's day.[2]

1. Deut. 5:12, 14, 18; Gen. 2:2-3; I Cor. 16:1-2; Acts 20:7; Matt. 5:17-18; Isa. 56:2, 4, 6-7
2. Rev. 1:10

Q117: How is the sabbath or the Lord's day to be sanctified?
A117: The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day,[1] not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful;[2] and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to betaken up in works of necessity and mercy)[3] in the public and private exercises of God's worship:[4] and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.[5]

1. Exod. 20:8, 10
2. Exod. 16:25-28; Neh. 13:15-22; Jer. 17:21-22

3. Matt. 12:1-13
4. Isa. 58:18; 66:23; Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:1-2; Psa. ch. 92; Lev. 23:3
5. Exod. 16:22, 25-26, 29; 20:8; Luke 23:54, 56; Neh. 13:19

Q118: Why is the charge of keeping the sabbath more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors?
A118: The charge of keeping the sabbath is more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone ofttimes to hinder them by employments of their own.[1]

1. Exod. 20:10; 23:12; Josh. 24:15; Neh. 13:15, 17; Jer. 17:20-22

Q119: What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A119: The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required,[1] all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them;[2] all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful;[3] and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations.[4]

1. Ezek. 22:26
2. Acts 15:7, 9; Ezek. 33:30-32; Amos 8:5; Mal. 1:13
3. Ezek. 23:38
4. Jer. 17:24, 27; Isa. 58:13

Q120: What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it?
A120: The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of it, God allowing us six days of seven for our own affairs, and reserving but one for himself, in these words, Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:[1] from God's challenging a special propriety in that day, The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God:[2] from the example of God, who in six days made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: and from that blessing which God put upon that day, not only in sanctifying it to be a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing to us in our sanctifying it; Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.[3]

1. Exod. 20:9
2. Exod. 20:10
3. Exod. 20:11

Q121: Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?
A121: The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment,[1] partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it,[2] and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments,[3] and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion;[4] and partly, because we are very ready to forget it,[5] for that there is less light of nature for it,[6] and yet it restraineth our natural liberty in things at other times lawful;[7] that it comesthbut once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it;[8] and that Satan with his instruments much labor to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety.[9]

1. Exod. 20:8
2. Exod. 16:23; Luke 23:54, 56; Mark 15:42; Neh. 13:19
3. Psa. 92:13-14; Ezek. 20:12, 19-20
4. Gen. 2:2-3; Psa. 118:22, 24; Acts 4:10, 11; Rev. 1:10
5. Ezek. 22:26
6. Neh. 9:14
7. Exod. 34:21
8. Deut. 5:14-15; Amos 8:5
9. Lam. 1:7; Jer. 17:21-23; Neh. 13:15-23

William Gouge's The Sabbath's Sanctification provides a great deal of practical advice on this subject. Joey Pipa's book on the The Lord's Day is also good, as is Walter Chantry's Call the Sabbath a Delight. See also various commentators on the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

There is a great promise of blessing to those who turn aside from their own interests to "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy":

13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isa. 58)

 

[Arch2k]

Amen! Our pastor preached an excellent sermon on the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy and undefiled last Lord's day. Keeping the Lord's day holy not only glorfies God, but it is one of the most distinctive ways a Christian can be "set apart" from the world. The world should look at the christian, and notice that he doesn't mow the lawn, clean the house etc. etc on Sunday, but instead devotes it to the Lord. THIS is counter-cultural.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

This will be the subject of the PM sermon next Lord's day in the series on FPCR distinctive practices. The Peace of Zion´s Walls Part 20: Distinctive Practices #8: The Christian Sabbath. I am behind with last weeks audio because of illness but expect, DV, that this will be posted Lord's day evening so keep an eye out at http://www.fpcr.org or at our sermon audio local (link at fpcr.org).

 

[ServantOfKing]

Wow, thank you all so much! That is really helpful. I am going to look into the resources mentioned.

 

[ServantOfKing]

Another question...

So in reading some of these explanations of the sabbath, another question comes to mind. The "reformed" baptist church I go to while at home does not believe in the command to keep the sabbath day holy and they say that it was abolished in the New Testament. Keeping that in mind, they have a host of activities on Sundays in between services including choir practice, drama team practice, other youth ministry meetings, member leadership meetings, etc. From the point of view that the Sabbath has indeed not been abolished, do these fall under activities that are still centered around Christ and facilitate spiritual growth or are they considered work that is better left to another day of the week?