Tom Schreiner’s 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law
releases later this month. As I’ve said before, I think it’s now the
go-to book for an accessible introduction to all the major issues
related to gospel and law, the role of law in redemptive history,
application of the law today, etc. I could not recommend it more highly.
Kregel has kindly given me permission to reprint some of the entries.
I’ll do so throughout the week. I won’t reproduce the footnotes or the
discussion questions, but other than that it’s the full entry.
Today I’ll reprint question #37, “Is the Sabbath Still Required for Christians?”
Believers today continue to dispute whether the Sabbath is required.
The Sabbath was given to Israel as a covenant sign, and Israel was
commanded to rest on the seventh day. We see elsewhere in the Old
Testament that covenants have signs, so that the sign of the Noahic
covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:8–17)
and the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision (Gen. 17). The
paradigm for the Sabbath was God’s rest on the seventh day of creation (Gen. 2:1–3). So, too, Israel was called upon to rest from work on the seventh day (Exod. 20:8–11; 31:12–17).
What did it mean for Israel not to work on the Sabbath? Figure 5 lists
the kinds of activities that were prohibited and permitted.
The Sabbath was certainly a day for social concern, for rest was
mandated for all Israelites, including their children, slaves, and even
animals (Deut. 5:14). It was also a day to honor and worship the Lord. Special burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on the Sabbath (Num. 28:9–10).
Psalm 92 is a Sabbath song that voices praise to God for his steadfast
love and faithfulness. Israel was called upon to observe the Sabbath in
remembrance of the Lord’s work in delivering them as slaves from
Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:15).
Thus, the Sabbath is tied to Israel’s covenant with the Lord, for it
celebrates her liberation from slavery. The Sabbath, then, is the sign
of the covenant between the Lord and Israel (Exod. 31:12–17; Ezek. 20:12–17). The Lord promised great blessing to those who observed the Sabbath (Isa. 56:2, 6; 58:13–14).
Breaking the Sabbath command was no trivial matter, for the death
penalty was inflicted upon those who intentionally violated it (Exod. 31:14–15; 35:2; Num. 15:32–36), though collecting manna on the Sabbath before the Mosaic law was codified did not warrant such a punishment (Exod. 16:22–30).
Israel regularly violated the Sabbath—the sign of the covenant—and this
is one of the reasons the people were sent into exile (Jer. 17:21–27; Ezek. 20:12–24). Continue at Justin Taylor
