I have heard many pros and cons about whether we should keep the Sabbath today. Can you please explain to me why the Sabbath should be kept today?
All one needs to do is read the Bible and believe what it says. Christ said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)? He added, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). “Full well,” He added, “ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). So, what saith the Scriptures?
First, God commanded all men to remember the Sabbath forever as one of the cardinal points of His Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11). A “thus saith the Lord” carries a lot of weight!
The Sabbath was made in the beginning, before He even made mankind—some 3,000 years before the Ten Commandments were given to Israel. Note that God blessed the seventh day, not the first (Genesis 2:1–3, emphasis added throughout).
The Sabbath was made specifically for man—all mankind, not just for the Jews. It was set apart as holy time for all mankind forever. Note that Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, not some other day. “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:” (Mark 2:27).
“Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath [not Sunday]” (Mark 2:28).
Israel had lost the knowledge of the Sabbath while in Egyptian slavery, and God showed them which day it was by means of the special “manna miracles,” and reemphasized the importance of keeping it holy (Exodus 16:1–30).
Jesus Christ, our example, kept the Sabbath day (Luke 4:16).
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, also kept the Sabbath (Acts 17:2).
Paul taught the Gentiles on the Sabbath (Acts 13:42, 44).
Speaking of the seventh day, the book of Hebrews says, “There remaineth therefore a rest [Greek, sabbatismos] to the people of God” (Hebrews 4:4,9).
In the future, when God’s Kingdom will be ruling on the earth, the Sabbath will be kept by all flesh (Isaiah 66:23).
From this quick summary, we see that God commands keeping the Sabbath holy, that it is one of the cardinal Ten Commandments, that the Sabbath was made for man at the time man was made, that it was given over 3,000 years before Israel was given the Ten Commandments, Jesus kept it, Paul kept it, and it will be kept in the Millennium when God’s Kingdom will rule. Putting these points together, we can plainly see that we ought to be keeping the Sabbath holy now.
Our Statement of Beliefs says: SABBATH: The seventh-day Sabbath is to be taught and kept holy in accordance with the biblical instruction. Instituted at creation, reaffirmed to Israel as a part of the covenant at Sinai, and taught by Jesus Christ, who is the Messenger of the New Covenant, the observance of the Sabbath is basic to a Christian’s relationship with God. (Genesis 2:2–3; Exodus 16; 20:8–11; 31:12–17; Ezekiel 20:12,20; Mark 2:27–28; Luke 4:16)