The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson on the fourth commandment goes with the sermon "Give It a Rest."
The first Christians were Jewish converts. Jesus was a Jew (Mt 1:1). The Twelve Disciples were Jews (see Ac 2:15-26). The “hundred and twenty” (1:5), the “three thousand” (2:41), and the “four thousand” (4:4) were all Jews. The gospel did not go to the Gentiles until it was preached to Cornelius by Peter (10:34-48). And as Jews, the first converts to Christianity continued to live their everyday lives according to the customs of Moses. In fact, until receiving a vision from the Lord, commanding him to do otherwise, Peter could say, “Surely not, Lord. I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” (10:14).
The conversion of Cornelius followed by the conversion of Gentiles throughout Asia Minor during Paul’s first missionary journey raised questions that threatened to divide the Church. Luke writes: “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved’” (15:1). In other words, Gentiles must become Jews in order to become Christians—a notion that Paul and Barnabas vehemently rejected. So a council was convened in Jerusalem to address the issue. Luke describes what happened at that council: “Some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses’” (v. 5). Put differently, Gentiles must become Jews to become Christians, and then they must live according to the customs of Moses. Peter flatly rejected that notion, saying: “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (vv. 10-11). Then James advised: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath” (vv. 19-21). And the council agreed; Gentiles neither needed to be circumcised to be saved nor to follow the customs of Moses to be sanctified (see vv. 28-29). Gentiles need not keep kosher, observe Sabbath, celebrate Jewish festivals, etc. Later, to Gentile believers, Paul writes: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Col 2:16-17). It’s not surprising that the church chose to meet to “break bread” (Ac 20:7), that is, observe the Lord’s Supper, and worship (1Co 16:2) on the first day of the week rather than the Sabbath. Note, too, that the fourth commandment is the only one not reiterated for Christians in the New Testament.
Sunday is not the Christian Sabbath. Sunday is the Lord’s day. While the seventh day of the week and the first day of the week are both significant, albeit for different reasons, Christians do not treat Saturday as a holy day. Consider the following summary, the title of which is unfortunately misleading, since the church didn’t switch Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. It didn’t observe Sabbath; it observed the Lord’s day instead:
“No specific names or dates are associated with the church's shift from observing the holy day on Saturday to observing it on Sunday. At first, especially when many Christians were converted Jews, their holy day was Saturday. However, because the Resurrection and the beginning of Creation had both occurred on the first day of the week (Sunday), the church soon observed that day instead. By the end of the first century, Sunday worship was the norm.
“It's important to note that the Sabbath was not simply moved; Christians altered the observance as well as the day. Hallmarks of the early Christian ‘Lord's day’ celebration, according to Justin Martyr (ca. 100-ca. 165), included readings from Scripture (particularly the Gospels), a sermon, communal prayer, and Communion—very different from Jewish Sabbath observance. By Jewish standards, Christians don't keep the Sabbath at all” (Elesha Coffman, “When Did the Christian Church Switch the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?” christianitytoday.com history/2008/august/when-did-christian-church-switch-sabbath-from-saturday-to.html).
Central Message of the Text
Recognizing the significance of the seventh day, the fourth commandment served as the sign for the covenant of Moses and provided rest for God’s people until the coming of Christ, after which the Church observes the Lord’s day, not the Sabbath day.
Family Talk
I love lists. If you were to look at my desk right now, you would find multiple. Life is busy and it helps me to make sure I get all the things done and nothing is forgotten. Putting a line through a task gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I will even write something down just so I can draw a line through it! We are busy people with busy schedules, but as I read through our Exodus passages, I am reminded that all too often I am missing a very important to-do on my list. The fourth commandment tells the Israelites to rest on the Sabbath. They were to work hard for six days and then rest on the seventh day, just as the Creator did. Christians observe the Lord’s day rather than the Sabbath. But this time isn’t to merely take a break and watch TV all day; it’s to spend time with our Savior, a sacred time set apart to worship and be in awe of the One who loves us deeply. I don’t want to add observing the Lord’s day to my to-do list just so I can cross it off, I want it there so I never again forget to regularly take my eyes off of myself and the world and focus solely on our amazing God. Parents, we are praying for you to do just that.