A Catholic Apologetic Response to Sabbath-Keeping Claims
Introduction
One of the most common arguments made by Seventh-day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists, and other Sabbath-observing groups is based on Christ's Great Commission:
“Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20)
They argue:
“Jesus kept the Sabbath. Therefore, when He commanded the apostles to teach all nations to obey everything He commanded, Christians must also keep the Saturday Sabbath.”
At first glance, this argument sounds convincing. However, a deeper examination of Scripture, apostolic practice, and early Church history reveals that this interpretation misunderstands both the mission of Christ and the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.
The question is not whether Jesus respected the Sabbath during His earthly ministry—He certainly did. The question is:
Did Jesus command His Church to continue observing the Jewish Saturday Sabbath as a binding law under the New Covenant?
The biblical and historical evidence says no.
Understanding Matthew 28:20 in Context
Jesus said:
“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Notice carefully:
Christ did not say:
“Teach them to observe everything Moses commanded.”
Nor did He say:
“Teach them to keep every ceremonial law of Israel.”
Instead, He specifically said:
“Everything I commanded you.”
The issue therefore becomes:
What did Jesus actually command His disciples concerning the Sabbath?
Jesus Never Commanded Christians to Keep the Saturday Sabbath
A remarkable fact often overlooked is this:
Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus command Gentile believers to keep the seventh-day Sabbath.
Instead, Jesus repeatedly corrected legalistic understandings of Sabbath observance.
For example:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)
And:
“The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:28)
Rather than reinforcing Pharisaic Sabbath regulations, Jesus demonstrated His authority over the Sabbath itself.
Christ Fulfilled the Old Covenant
The New Testament consistently teaches that Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law.
Jesus declared:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
The Greek word plērōsai (“fulfill”) means to bring to completion.
Just as animal sacrifices pointed to Christ and found their fulfillment in Him, the Sabbath also pointed toward a deeper spiritual reality.
The Sabbath Was a Shadow
St. Paul explicitly teaches:
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16–17).¹
Notice:
Paul classifies Sabbath observance among Old Covenant shadows.
A shadow points to something greater.
Christ is the reality.
The Jerusalem Council Never Required Sabbath Observance
One of the strongest arguments against mandatory Sabbath-keeping comes from Acts 15.
The apostles gathered at the historical event known as the Council of Jerusalem to determine which Mosaic laws Gentile converts must observe.
This was the perfect opportunity to require Sabbath observance if it remained obligatory.
Yet the apostles did not command it.
Instead, they required only:
- Avoid idolatry.
- Avoid sexual immorality.
- Avoid blood.
- Avoid meat from strangled animals.
(Acts 15:28–29)
The Sabbath is conspicuously absent.
If Sabbath observance were essential for salvation, its omission would be impossible to explain.
St. Paul Explicitly Rejects Mandatory Sabbath Observance
Paul repeatedly teaches Christian freedom regarding holy days.
Romans 14:5
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike.”
If Sabbath observance were a universal moral command, Paul could not say this.
Galatians 4:9–11
Paul warns:
“You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I have labored over you in vain.”
Here Paul criticizes Christians who were returning to Old Covenant observances as though they remained binding.
Colossians 2:16–17
Again:
“Let no one judge you with regard to a Sabbath.”
This directly contradicts claims that Sabbath observance remains mandatory under the New Covenant.²
Why Did Christians Begin Worshiping on Sunday?
The answer lies in Christ's Resurrection.
Jesus rose from the dead:
“On the first day of the week.” (Mark 16:2)
The Resurrection inaugurated the New Creation.
For this reason, the apostles began gathering on Sunday.
Acts 20:7
“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread...”
Breaking bread refers to Eucharistic worship.
1 Corinthians 16:2
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside.”
This suggests regular Sunday assemblies.
Revelation 1:10
St. John writes:
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day.”
By the end of the first century, Christians already recognized a distinct day called “the Lord's Day.”
What Did the Earliest Christians Believe?
The earliest post-apostolic Christians overwhelmingly testify that Christian worship centered on Sunday rather than the Jewish Sabbath.
St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 107)
Ignatius of Antioch wrote:
“Those who lived according to the old order have come to a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living according to the Lord's Day.”³
This testimony comes from a disciple of the apostles themselves.
St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 155)
Justin Martyr explained:
“We all gather on Sunday because it is the first day on which God created the world and Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead.”⁴
This demonstrates that Sunday worship was universal long before Constantine.
Did Constantine Change the Sabbath?
A popular anti-Catholic claim says:
“Constantine changed worship from Saturday to Sunday in AD 321.”
Historically, this is false.
Christian worship on Sunday existed centuries before Constantine.
Evidence includes:
- Acts 20:7
- 1 Corinthians 16:2
- Revelation 1:10
- Ignatius (AD 107)
- Justin Martyr (AD 155)
Constantine merely recognized an already existing Christian practice. He did not create it.
The Catholic Church's Teaching
The Catholic Church teaches that the Third Commandment remains morally binding:
Remember the Lord's Day and keep it holy.
However, the Church understands Sunday as the fulfillment of the Sabbath in the New Covenant.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath.” (CCC 2175)
And:
“The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.” (CCC 2177)
The Church does not teach that the Sabbath commandment was abolished.
Rather, it teaches that its fulfillment is found in Christ and celebrated on the Lord's Day.
Responding to Common Sabbath-Keeping Objections
Objection 1:
“Jesus kept the Sabbath.”
Answer:
Jesus also kept:
- Passover sacrifices
- Temple worship
- Circumcision
- Mosaic purity laws
He lived under the Old Covenant (Galatians 4:4).
The question is not what Jesus practiced as a faithful Jew before the Cross.
The question is what He established for His Church after His Resurrection.
Objection 2:
“Matthew 28:20 says obey everything Jesus commanded.”
Correct.
But Jesus never commanded Gentile Christians to keep the Saturday Sabbath.
Instead, He established a New Covenant centered on Himself.
Objection 3:
“The Ten Commandments never changed.”
The moral law remains.
However, the Sabbath command possesses ceremonial and covenantal aspects unique to Israel.
Scripture itself identifies the Sabbath as:
“a sign between me and the people of Israel.” (Exodus 31:13)
The New Covenant retains the principle of sacred worship and rest while transforming its expression in the light of Christ's Resurrection.
The Deeper Meaning of Sabbath
The New Testament teaches that the ultimate Sabbath is not merely a day.
It is union with Christ.
The author of Hebrews writes:
“There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9)
This rest points beyond weekly observance toward eternal communion with God.
The Old Testament Sabbath was a sign.
Christ is the fulfillment.
Conclusion
Matthew 28:19–20 does not establish mandatory Saturday Sabbath observance for Christians.
When Jesus commanded the apostles to teach all nations to obey everything He commanded, He was commissioning them to transmit His New Covenant teachings—not to impose every ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic Law upon the nations.
The evidence is overwhelming:
- Jesus never commanded Gentile Christians to keep the Saturday Sabbath.
- The Jerusalem Council did not require it.
- St. Paul explicitly warned against judging Christians regarding Sabbaths.
- The apostles gathered on Sunday.
- The earliest Church Fathers worshiped on Sunday.
- The Catholic Church preserves this apostolic tradition through the Lord's Day.
The Christian is not called back to the shadow but forward into the reality.
As St. Paul teaches:
“These are a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)
The Sabbath pointed to Christ.
The Lord's Day celebrates Christ.
And Christ Himself is our eternal rest.
Footnotes
- Colossians 2:16–17, RSVCE.
- Romans 14:5; Galatians 4:9–11; Colossians 2:16–17.
- Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians 9, c. AD 107.
- Justin Martyr, First Apology 67, c. AD 155.
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