Sabbath in Christianity facts for kids

Sol Iustitiae (Sun of Righteousness), a painting from around 1499/1500 by Albrecht Dürer. It shows a sun, which can represent justice, as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

The Sabbath in Christianity is a special day for rest and worshiping God. The idea of the Sabbath comes from the Jewish Sabbath, called Shabbat. In fact, the word "Sabbath" itself comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat. Both Christian and Jewish Sabbaths are linked to the Genesis story of Creation.

However, there's a big difference: most Christians observe the Sabbath on Sunday, not Saturday. They also rest, but their customs are different from Jewish traditions. The exact way Christians observe the Sabbath can depend on their church's denomination.

Why Christians Observe Sunday

Most Christians honor Sunday as the Sabbath. They do this to remember the Resurrection of Jesus. This important event happened on the first day of the week in the Jewish calendar.

Many Christians believe that their Sunday worship is similar to the original Sabbath rule. But they also say that the old rules for the Sabbath are not exactly the same for Christians. This is because they believe God started a "new creation" with Jesus. So, the way Christians keep the Sabbath is different from how Jews do. The New Testament and early Christian writings show examples of this.

Different Christian Views

Some Christians, called "Sabbatarians," are very strict about keeping the Sabbath. Most of them follow Reformed traditions. They believe Sunday, also called the Lord's Day, is the new Sabbath. They think the original rule to keep the Sabbath was never canceled. They also see it as a rule that has been in place since creation.

Other Christians believe that Saturday is still the day of rest. But they set aside Sunday especially for worship. The Bible mentions that Jesus' followers met on the first day of the week (Sunday) to share a meal and hear the apostle Paul preach. Jesus also appeared to his followers on the "first day of the week" after his resurrection. This shows that while the Sabbath was still important to Jews, Sunday became a separate day for Christians to worship and learn from the Bible.

Seventh-day Adventists' View

The Seventh-day Adventists and some other churches have different ideas. They believe that meeting for worship on Sunday started from paganism. They point to ancient Roman religions like Sol Invictus and Mithraism. In these religions, people worshiped the sun god on Sunday.

Sabbath in History

After the Jewish-Roman wars, Jews were often disliked in the Roman Empire. This led to laws against Jewish customs, including the Jewish Sabbath. The Council of Laodicea in the 4th century AD showed this dislike. Its rules said Christians should not share food or celebrate with Jews.

This Roman council also made it illegal for Christians to observe the Jewish Sabbath. One rule from the Council of Laodicea said: "Christians must not act like Jews by resting on the Sabbath. Instead, they must work on that day. They should honor the Lord's Day (Sunday) and rest then if they can, as Christians. If anyone acts like a Jew, they will be removed from Christ."

In the Gospel of Mark 2:28, Jesus says, "the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." This means Jesus has authority over the Sabbath.

Images for kids

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  A recreation ground on Raasay with a sign saying "Please do not use this playing field on Sundays".

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  The Sabbath Breakers by J.C. Dollman (1896).

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  The oldest Sabbatarian church in the Americas (Seventh Day Baptist), built in 1730, in Newport, Rhode Island.

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  A Seventh-day Adventist Church.

See also

In Spanish: Sábado en el cristianismo para niños