Christians ought to observe all of the ten commandments, right? The fourth of the ten commandments, found in Exodus 20:8, is "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." What about that particular commandment? Does this command from the Old Testament still apply to those of us living under the New Testament? Are we still supposed to remember the Sabbath day? The answer may surprise you.

What is the Sabbath day? The Sabbath day was the seventh day of the week–the day we commonly refer to as Saturday. Why was the seventh day the Sabbath day? The answer is found in the beginning:
 

God set aside the seventh day of the week for rest, and He made it holy. Throughout the remainder of the Old Testament, there are countless references to this and other special Sabbaths. The seventh day of the week, or the Sabbath day, was also the day when the Israelites or Jews worshiped God.

Why don't Christians worship on the Sabbath day? Most Christians worship on the first day of the week–the day we commonly refer to as Sunday. This is not because of some mix-up in the calendar or because the Sabbath was somehow "moved" to another day. Christians worship on the first day of the week, because that is the pattern established by the apostles in the Bible. Just as there is great significance associated with the seventh day of the week in the Old Testament, there is also great significance associated with the first day of the week in the New Testament. Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). On that same first day of the week, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples (John 20:19-23). On the day of Pentecost, which was 50 days following the Sabbath day and therefore was a first day of the week, the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; Leviticus 23:9-16). The first Christians observed the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). The apostle Paul designated the first day of the week, when the Christians were already meeting together, as the appropriate day to collect money for those in need (1 Corinthians 16:1-3). John the apostle received his revelation on a Lord's Day, the first day of the week (Revelation 1:10). Therefore, Christians are following the biblical pattern established by the apostles and first Christians by gathering and worshiping on the first day of the week.

What happened to the Sabbath, then? Was the Sabbath eliminated by the New Testament? No, while Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27), and that He is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5), He also said that He had not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), and that not the smallest letter or the least stroke of a pen would disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:18; Luke 16:17). So what happened to the Sabbath, then? Jesus didn't come to abolish the Law and the Sabbath but to fulfill it. And He did fulfill it. He said that not the smallest portion of the Law would disappear until everything was accomplished. And it was accomplished. Jesus came to rescue us from a hopeless situation. He died for our sins, was buried, and arose after three days and three nights so that we, too, can have eternal life. He fulfilled the Law. He accomplished what no one else could. As He said on the cross, "It is finished," (John 19:30). Indeed, it was finished!