Which Day Is The True Christian Sabbath? Sunday or Saturday? The Biblical Answer
Christ observed the true seventh-day Sabbath. Paul observed the true Christian Sabbath. But why today do millions of Christians observe Sunday as the day of worship? Is the Sabbath required for Christians? This article examines the biblical proof to answer: Which day is the Sabbath? Does it matter to God if you observe the wrong day of worship? Why do most Christians not observe the true seventh-day Sabbath?
The Great Deception: Warnings Against False Teachers and Why Most Christians Observe Sunday
Why do Christians not follow Christ, and why did Paul even say, “Imitate me”? Most Christians today observe the wrong day because they are deceived by Satan and his deceitful workers. If you follow them, you are also deceived, and you are endangering your eternal life. This raises the critical question: Who changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday?
Let us examine the biblical truth about the true seventh-day Sabbath.
- Rev. 12:9: “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” Satan has been blinding the whole world for an aeon of time, and he has his followers.
- 1 Peter 2:1: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.”
Remember, there are false prophets and false teachers. Those who prophesy but whose prophecies do not take place are simply false prophets.
Deut. 18: 20-22: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak… that prophet shall die.’… when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
These false prophets exist, but do not be afraid of them. If you are following a false prophet, he is not sent by God. Leave him. Leave that church.
And we come to the next—the false teachers.
2 Cor. 11: 13-15: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
This is a biblical fact that there are false teachers and prophets, and their leader is Satan, the Great Deceiver. We must avoid false teachers. Believe the words of God.
Paul’s Example: The Sabbatarian Who Kept ‘The Way’
Paul advised the Christians to imitate him:
- 1 Cor. 11:1: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
- 1 Cor. 4:16: “Therefore I urge you, imitate me.”
- Philippians 3:17: “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”
What day did Paul observe the Sabbath? Paul was openly a Sabbatarian. He kept the Law. “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets,” (Acts 24:14).
The “Way” here is translated from the Greek word hodos. It means a path or road traveled, or a journey Christians should follow toward the Kingdom of God. Plainly, The Way is the method of knowing and how to worship the true God.
Paul was emphasizing he was walking the paths of his forefathers, the Israelites, and the path of Christ. The book of Acts repeatedly records early Christian believers as belonging to “The Way Christians” in Acts 9:2; 19:9; 24:14, 22.
- A Call to Action: Do you follow the Way of the early Christian believers taught by Paul? It is time now to evaluate your salvation. You must seek and know the truth now and apply it.
The True Test of Faith: Knowing and Doing
Apostle James warned: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Sabbath keeping is a test command for those who are willing to obey Christ who has assured us, He will help us, Matt. 11:28-30.
There are two ways a person could be deceived:
- Not following the truth: You know the truth about the true worship day, and you do not believe; you are deceived.
- Wrongly believing: You know that Sunday is the wrong day of worshipping our Creator and you are still observing it; you are deceived.
You must follow the truth.
Paul’s Custom Confirmed:
- Acts 17:2: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.”
- Paul kept the annual Sabbaths: He was hurrying to keep the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 20:16) and observed the Day of Atonement (Acts 27:9). Paul instructed the Corinthians to keep the Feast (1 Cor. 5:8).
Why are millions of innocent Christians being deceived into following false teachers who promote Sunday or Saturday worship as being equal? Do not be among the millions deceived. Observe the true rest day—the true worship day, the seventh-day Sabbath.
Did Jesus Change the Sabbath Day? Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath
Follow Paul and Timothy and start observing the true Sabbath, and you will no longer be deceived by Satan.
Who was Christ? We all know Christ was a Jew from the tribe of Judah. Christ kept the law, and He was sinless.
Luke 4:16: “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.”
Mark 2:28 states unequivocally: Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. He is not the Lord of Sunday, as many believe.
Christ poses a fundamental question in Luke 6:46 concerning the gap between profession and practice: “Why call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” This emphasizes that genuine faith requires concrete obedience.
The Problem of Hypocrisy and Offerings
This lack of obedience manifests as hypocrisy. Many believers praise God when they get a new job or salary increase but never give offerings to God.
Yearly, millions of Christians celebrate Christmas, which was rooted in pagan traditions and is not true, or celebrate birthdays, but never give an offering to God. When you read these truths and feel guilty, you must change. Honor God with your wealth and all your increase (Prov. 3:9), because “all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours,” (1 Chro. 29:11).
Christ: The God of the Old Testament and the Way
That God who spoke in 1 Chro. 29:11 was Christ, who was the God of the Old Testament (1 Cor. 10:4, John 8:58, Rev. 22:6).
Christ is the immovable “rock” (petra in Greek) (1 Cor. 10:4; Isaiah 26:4). He is the God of the Old Testament because “no one has seen God the Father at any time” (John 1:18). The God Moses and the Israelites saw was Christ.
Christ said in John 14:6, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Way is Christ Himself.
The Law Endures: The Unalterable Ten Commandments Sabbath
Christ then affirmed the permanence of the Law:
Matt. 5: 17-19: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill… Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Many preachers today say the 7th day Sabbath no longer matters. But the question remains: will you believe men, or will you believe Christ? Let Apostle Peter and other apostles answered -Acts 5:21 ” …We must obey God rather than men.” So there you are. Peter counseled you. Obey God rather than people.
Christ inscribed the Ten Commandments Sabbath on stone to represent their enduring nature. The seventh-day Sabbath is included. Yet many theologians have changed and altered it. They are false teachers. Do not follow them.
Sabbath keeping from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset is one of the commandments most often violated. If you break it, you commit lawlessness (1 Joh 3:4).
“Least in the kingdom of heaven” is from the Greek word elachistos, meaning the smallest or very insignificant. If you break one of the commandments, you become insignificant. But if you teach them, you will become megas (exceedingly great) in the Kingdom of God.
Whoever wants to become great in the Kingdom of God, then obey His Sabbath.
There Remains a Sabbath Rest for the People of God
Why do you follow your false teachers? Follow Christ. He is the Truth, the Way, and The Life.
Christ said in Luke 18:8, “Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?”
The answer is Yes. He will find faith on earth for those who obey all His commandments, including the true seventh-day Sabbath.
Hebrews 4:9: “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”
Keep it and teach it and become great in the Kingdom of God. That is a sure promised from Christ.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What day is the True Christian Sabbath?
Answer: The true Christian Sabbath, according to the Bible and the custom of Christ and the Apostle Paul, is the seventh day of the week, Saturday, observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
- Did Jesus change the Sabbath day to Sunday?
Answer: No. Jesus explicitly stated, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17). He kept the Sabbath as His custom (Luke 4:16) and declared Himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), affirming its status as part of the eternal law.
- Why do most Christians worship on Sunday?
The observance of Sunday instead of the Sabbath is due to being deceived by false teachers and ministers who have altered God’s commandments (Rev. 12:9), a phenomenon warned against in 2 Corinthians 11 and 1 Peter 2.
- What is the consequence of breaking the Sabbath commandment?
Christ warned that whoever breaks one of the least commandments and teaches men so “shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:19). The article interprets “least” (elachistos) as becoming insignificant or irrelevant in the coming kingdom.
- What does Paul mean by “Imitate me”?
Paul told Christians to “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Since Paul kept the Law and observed the Sabbath (Acts 17:2), imitating him requires following his example of obedience to all of God’s commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath.
6. Will Sabbath breaking affect your salvation?
Certainly. Zechariah and Elizabeth were called righteous in Luke 1:6 because they were walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord”. Christ also performed all righteousness, Matt. 3:15.
7. What should I do next?
James said if you know it and you do not do, you sin. You must observe now the Sabbath. Paul and Christ observed it and the early New Testament Church, James 4:17.
Decide With Faith-Follow Christ
The choice is now yours: will you follow the traditions of men or the Way of Christ and His Apostles?
You have read the plain, unalterable words of God. Sin is lawlessness. If you know the truth about the True Christian Sabbath—observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset—and refuse to keep it, you are actively choosing the path of disobedience.
Don’t risk being called “least in the kingdom of heaven.” Choose greatness.
The time to act is now. Today, commit to observing the Seventh-day Sabbath, follow the Way, and start walking the path of full obedience to Christ. Share this biblical truth with your congregation and family, and become one who does and teaches His commandments!
Salvation is individual, Phil.2:12. Act now or the truth will be snatched away by the Evil One, Matt. 13:19.
Also read: Christ Practicing Jew. Did He Adhere to Mosaic Law?