Purpose and Perspective
The main objective of this document on Sabbath observance is to provide counsel or guidelines to church members desiring a richer, more meaningful experience in Sabbath keeping. It is hoped that this will provide an impetus toward a real reform in Sabbath keeping on a worldwide basis.
Conscious of the fact that the worldwide worshiping community encounters numerous problems in Sabbath observance arising from within a given cultural and ideological context, an attempt has been made to take these difficulties into consideration. It is not the intent of this document to address every question pertaining to Sabbath keeping, but rather to present Bblical principals and Spirit of Prophecy guidelines that will assist the church members as they endeavor to follow the leading of the Lord.
It is hoped that the counsel given in the document will be helpful. Ultimately, however, decisions made under critical circumstances must be motivated by one's personal faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sabbath - A Safeguard of Our Relationship With God
The Sabbath encompasses our entire relationship with God. It is an indication of God's action on our behalf in the past, present, and future. The Sabbath protects man's friendship with God and provides the time essential for the development of that relationship. The Sabbath clarifies the relationship between God and the human family, for it points to God as Creator at a time when human beings would like to usurp God's position in the universe.
In this age of materialism, the Sabbath points men and women to the spiritual and to the personal. The consequences for forgetting the Sabbath day to keep it holy are serious. It will lead to the distortion and eventual destruction of a person's relationship with God.
When the Sabbath is kept, it is a witness to the rest that comes from trusting God alone as our sustainer, as the basis of our salvation, and as the ground of our hope in the future. As such, the Sabbath is a delight because we have entered God's rest and have accepted the invitation to fellowship with Him.
When God asks us to remember the Sabbath day He does so because He wants us to remember Him.
Principles and Theology of Sabbath Observance
1) Nature and Purpose of the Sabbath. The origin of the Sabbath lies in Creation when God rested from His work on the seventh day (Gen 1-3). The Sabbath has significance as a perpetual sign of the everlasting covenant between God and His people in order that they might know who it is that created them (Ex 31-17) and sanctifies them (Ex 31:13; Ezek 20:12), and that they might recognize Him as the Lord their God (Ezek 20:20).
2) Uniqueness of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a special occasion for worshiping God as Creator and Redeemer and as the Lord of Life with whom the human family will be reunited at the second advent. The Sabbath commandment forms the center of the moral law as the seal of God's authority. Since it is a symbol of God's love relationship with His earthly children, human beings are obliged to respect this gift in the sense that they will do everything in their power to promote and engage in activities that will help establish and enhance a lasting relationship with God. Thus His people will engage only in those activities that are directed toward God and their fellowmen and not in those that lean toward self-gratification or self-interest.
3) Universality of the Sabbath. The universality of the Sabbath is rooted in Creation. Thus its privileges and obligations are binding in all nations, sectors, or classes. (See Ex 20:11; 23:12; Dent 5:13; Isa 56:1-8.) Sabbath observance pertains to all members of the household including children and extends even "to the stranger that is within thy gates" (Ex 20:10).
4) Time Frame of the Sabbath. Biblical Data: The Sabbath starts at the end of the sixth day of the week and lasts one day, from evening to evening (Gen 1; Mark 1:32). This time coincides with the time of sunset. Wherever a clear delineation of the time of sunset is difficult to ascertain, the Sabbath keeper will begin the Sabbath at the end of the day as marked by the diminishing light.
5) Principles Guiding Sabbath Observance. Although the Bible does not deal directly with many of the specific questions we may have regarding Sabbath observance in our day, it does provide us with general principles that are applicable today. (See Ex 16:29; 20:8-11; 34:21; Isa 58:13; Neh 13:15-22.)
"The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds."--The Desire of Ages, p 207.
This concept, however, is not supportive of total inactivity. Both the Old and New Testaments invite us to care for the needs and alleviate the sufferings of others, for the Sabbath is a good day for all, particularly the lowly and the oppressed (Ex 23:12; Matt 12:10-13; Mark 2:27; Luke 13:11-17; John 9:1-21).
Yet even good works on the Sabbath must not obscure the chief Biblical characteristic of Sabbath observance, namely, rest (Gen 2:1-3). This includes both physical (Ex 23:12) and spiritual rest in God (Matt 11:28). The latter leads the Sabbath observer to seek the presence of, and communion with God in worship (Isa 48:13), both in quiet meditation (Matt 12:1-8) and in public worship (Jer 23:32, 2 Kings 4:23; 11:4-12; 1 Chron 23:30 ff; Isa 56:1-8). Its object is to recognize God as Creator and Redeemer (Gen 2:1-3; Dent 5:12-15), and it is to be shared by the individual family and the larger community (Isa 56:1-8).
6) Sabbath and the Authority of God's Word. Ellen White points out that the Sabbath commandment is unique, for it contains the seal of God's law. It alone "brings to view both the name and title of the Lawgiver. It declares Him to be the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and thus shows His claim to reverence and worship above all others. Aside from this precept, there is nothing in the Decalogue to show by whose authority the law is given."--The Great Controversy, p 452.
The Sabbath as a sign of the Creator points to His ownership and authority.
Meaningful Sabbath observance, therefore, indicates the acceptance of God as Creator and Owner and acknowledges His authority over all creation, including oneself. Sabbath observance is based on the authority of God's Word. There is no other logical reason for it.
Human beings have the freedom to enter into a relationship with the Creator of the universe as with a personal friend.
Sabbath keepers may have to face resistance at times because of their commitment to God to keep the Sabbath holy. To those who do not recognize God as their Creator, it seems arbitrary or inexplicable for someone to cease from all work on the Sabbath day for merely religious reasons. Meaningful Sabbath observance testifies to the fact that we have chosen to obey God's commandment. We thus recognize that our life is now lived in obedience to God's Word. The Sabbath will be a special test in the end time. The believer will have to make a choice either to give allegiance to God's Word or to human authority (Rev 14:7, 12).
Home and Family Life as Related to the Sabbath
1) Introduction. Home life is the cornerstone of proper Sabbath observance. Only when individuals keep the Sabbath conscientiously in the home and assume their assigned responsibilities as members of the family will the Church as a whole reveal to the world the joys and privileges of God's holy day.
2) Different Kinds of Homes. In the twentieth century there are various kinds of homes, for example, the home in which there is a husband, wife, and children; the home in which there is husband and wife and no children; the home in which there is a single parent and children (where because of death or divorce one parent must function in both maternal and paternal roles); the home in which a person has never married or where death or divorce has left one single, and no children are involved; or the home in which one parent only is a member of the Church. In addressing the needs and problems of these categories, it should be understood that some of the principles and suggestions enunciated will apply to all groups and some will be more specialized.
3) Two Sacred Institutions--The Home and the Sabbath. "In the beginning" God placed a man and a woman in the Garden of Eden as their home. Also, "in the beginning" God gave to human beings the Sabbath. These two institutions, the home and the Sabbath, belong together. Both are gifts from God. Therefore both are sacred, the latter strengthening and enriching in its unique manner the bond of the former.
Close fellowship is an important element of the home. Close fellowship with other human beings also is an important element of the Sabbath. It binds families closer to God and binds the individual members closer to one another. Viewed from this perspective, the importance of the Sabbath to the home cannot be overestimated.
4) Responsibilities of Adults as Teachers. In choosing Abraham as the father of the chosen people, God said, "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him" (Gen 18:19). It seems clear, then, that an enormous responsibility has been given to adults in the home for the spiritual- welfare of their children. By both precept and example, they must provide the kind of structure and atmosphere that will make the Sabbath a delight and such a vital part of Christian living that, long after leaving the home, the children will continue the customs they were taught in childhood.
In harmony with the injunction, "Thou shalt teach them (God's commandments) diligently unto thy children" (cf Dent 6:4-9), the adult members of the family should teach their children to love God and keep His commandments. They should teach them to be loyal to God and to follow His directives.
From earliest infancy, children should be taught to participate in family worship so that worship in the house of God will become an extension of a family custom. Also from infancy, children should be taught the importance of church attendance, that true Sabbath observance involves going to God's house for worship and Bible study. Adults in the family should set the example by attending services on Sabbath, providing a pattern that will be seen as important when their children make decisions on what is of value in life. Through discussions, as the children grow older and more mature, and through Bible study, the children should be taught the meaning of the Sabbath, its relationship to Christian living, and the enduring quality of the Sabbath.
5) Preparation for the Sabbath. If the Sabbath is to be observed properly, the entire week should be programmed in such a way that every member will be ready to welcome God's holy day when it arrives. This means that the adult family members will plan so that all household tasks--the buying and preparing of food, the readying of clothes, and all the other necessities of everyday life--will be completed before sundown Friday. The day of rest should become the pivot around which the wheel of the entire week turns. When Friday night approaches and sundown is near, adults and children will be able to greet the Sabbath with tranquility of mind, with all preparation finished, and with the home in readiness to spend the next 24 hours with God and with one another. Children can help achieve this by carrying Sabbath preparation responsibilities commensurate with their maturity. The way the family approaches the beginning of the Sabbath at sundown on Friday night and the way Friday night is spent will set the stage for receiving the blessings that the Lord has in store for the entire day which follows.
6) Proper Sabbath Dress. Where there are children in the home, on Sabbath morning as the family dresses for church, adults may, by precept and example, teach children that one way to honor God is to appear in His house in clean, representative clothing appropriate to the culture in which they live.
7) Importance of Bible Study Hour. Where children do not have the advantage of attending Adventist schools, the Sabbath School becomes the most important means of religious instruction outside the home. The value of this Bible study hour cannot be overestimated. Therefore, parents should attend Sabbath morning services and do everything possible to take their children with them.
8) Family Activities on the Sabbath. In most cultures the Sabbath noon meal, when the family gathers around the dinner table in the home, is a high point of the week. The spirit of sacred joy and fellowship, begun upon arising and continued through the worship services at church, is intensified. Free from the distractions of a secular atmosphere, the family can converse on themes of mutual interest and maintain the spiritual mood of the day.
When the sacred nature of the Sabbath is understood, and a loving relationship exists between parents and children, all will seek to prevent intrusions into the holy hours by secular music, radio, and video and television programs, and by newspapers, books, and magazines.
Sabbath afternoons, as far as possible, will be spent in family activities--exploring nature; making missionary visits to shut-ins, the sick, or others in need of encouragement; and attending meetings in the church. As the children grow older, activities will enlarge to encompass other members of their age group in the church, with the question always in mind, "Does this activity cause me to understand better the true nature and sacredness of the Sabbath?" Thus proper Sabbath observance in the home will have a lasting influence for time and eternity.
