Did Exodus 20:8–10 Specify Saturday as the Day of Rest for All Christians?

Does Exodus 20:8–10 command Christians to keep Saturday as the Sabbath? Discover the biblical truth, early Church practices, writings of the Fathers, and Catholic teaching on the Lord’s Day.

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Introduction

One of the Ten Commandments reads:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God…” (Exodus 20:8–10, RSVCE).

Some groups argue that this verse means Christians are still required to worship on Saturday. But is this what the Bible and the early Church actually taught? Or did Christ, through His Resurrection, establish a new covenant day of worship—the Lord’s Day (Sunday)?

Let us examine the evidence.

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1. The Old Covenant Sabbath (Saturday)

• The seventh day Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Exodus 31:16–17).

• It recalled God’s rest at creation (Genesis 2:2–3).

• It also reminded Israel of their deliverance from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15).

• The Sabbath was given specifically to Israel, not universally to all nations.

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2. The Fulfillment in Christ

Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath

• “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:8)

• Jesus shows that He has authority over the Sabbath, pointing to a greater reality—the eternal rest in Him (Hebrews 4:9–10).

The Resurrection Changed Everything

• Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Sunday) (Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1).

• The Resurrection marks the new creation and fulfillment of the old Sabbath.

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3. Apostolic Practice: The Lord’s Day (Sunday)

• “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them.” (Acts 20:7)
  👉 Christians celebrated the Eucharist on Sunday.

• “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up.” (1 Corinthians 16:2)
  👉 Offerings were made on Sunday worship.

• “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” (Revelation 1:10)
  👉 Already in the 1st century, Sunday was called the Lord’s Day.

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4. Testimony of the Early Church Fathers

• St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD):
  “Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but living in observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death.” (Letter to the Magnesians, 9)

• St. Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD):
  “On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place… because it is the first day on which God made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on the same day.” (First Apology, 67)

👉 From the earliest centuries, Christians worshipped on Sunday—not Saturday.

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5. Catholic Teaching

• CCC 2175: “Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians, its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath.”

• CCC 2177: Sunday is the day the Christian community gathers for the Eucharist.

• CCC 2190–2191: The Sabbath is fulfilled in Sunday worship, which celebrates the new creation and Christ’s Resurrection.

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6. Table of Comparison

Aspect	Old Covenant Sabbath (Saturday)	New Covenant Lord’s Day (Sunday)
Day	7th day of the week	1st day of the week
Basis	God’s rest at creation	Christ’s Resurrection, new creation
Covenant	Mosaic (Israel)	New Covenant (all nations)
Significance	Rest from labor, remembrance of Exodus	Celebration of Eucharist, victory over sin and death
Early Practice	Synagogue observance	Eucharistic celebration on Sunday
Church Teaching	Binding for Jews	Binding for Christians (CCC 2175–2191)

7. Answering the Protestant/Adventist Objection

• The commandment to keep holy the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8–10) is eternal in principle, but fulfilled in Christ.

• Christians are not bound to the Old Covenant Saturday law (Colossians 2:16–17).

• Instead, we are bound to honor the Lord’s Day (Sunday), instituted by the Apostles themselves.

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More about this topic: 

Sunday is the day of the resurrection which surpasses the sabbath day in importance in the New Testament. Jesus talked to John in Revelation chapter one about his resurrection, the day of that event being described as the "Lord's Day (Revelation 1:10)." The sabbath day is idolized by some people who erroneously call it the Lord's Day. There is no commandment to keep either Saturday or Sunday in the New Testament. But this doesn't matter to Adventists because their prophet Ellen White told them to keep the sabbath day. The sabbath was mandatory for old testament Jews, the Lord's Day is voluntary for Christians. The day of the resurrection surpassed the sabbath day in importance in the New Testament. There would be no salvation without the resurrection, and the significance of Christ's Lordly day cancels any paganism associated with Sunday. 

 

A former Adventist pastor said, "They cling to the law (the ten commandments) to justify their idolatrous view of the 7th day sabbath." It is an abrogated Hebrew ritual law that pointed to Christ, that is associated with ceremonial feasts, and has nothing to do with the moral law, the gospel or the gentiles (see Leviticus 23; Numbers 28: 9, 10; Colossians 2: 16, 17). 

 

1 Corinthians 16:2 and Acts 29:7 prove that believers met on the first of the week - the day of the resurrection, and it's been this way since the first century except for outlier groups posing as being Christian trying to keep an old testament holy day. The sabbatical system has been abolished in Christ who said nothing about sabbath keeping in heaven. Sabbath keeping is useless, putting oneself under the law, and stepping on the grace of Christ.

 

Ellen White their leader demonized the day of the resurrection (Sunday) in her book, The Great Controversy, and exalted the sabbath day. It's pounded into their heads that Sunday is pagan, and that there's going to be a Sunday law mark of the beast, so attending church on Saturday is a test of loyalty. Unfortunately, they've been waiting for a Sunday law that never came since the 1800's, many going to the grave believing a hoax.

 

The indoctrination and arguments for sabbath keeping and Ellen White's teachings are a constant thing. They say they go by the Bible, but the pastors quote Ellen White. 

 

Preaching the sabbath day was never part of the gospel - Jesus and the apostles never commanded to keep it. As Lord of the sabbath, Jesus could break it and not sin as noted in John 5:18. In that verse the gospel says, not the pharisees saying it, that Jesus broke the sabbath and made himself equal with God. Therefore, both claims are TRUE.