The Sabbath
Sabbath Rest: Click on photo to read Jennifer Rector's paper, "Jesus Christ: The Sabbath Rest of the New Covenant." You may be surprised to learn that the Sabbath rest of the New Covenant is found in a Person rather than a day!
Is the Sabbath Still Required for Christians? is Question 37 from Thomas Schreiner's book 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law, which Dr. Schreiner and Kregel Publications have graciously allowed us to share here.
The Sabbath in Colossians is Chapter 7 from Discovering the New Covenant: Why I Am No Longer a Seventh-day Adventist by former-SDA pastor Greg Taylor. This is an excellent and highly readable study of Colossians 2:16-17. Shared by author's permission.
Giving Sabbath a Rest, an article from Christiantiy Today by former Adventist Delina Pryce McPhaull.
The Seventh-Day Sabbath Was the Sign of the Mosaic Covenant! is Chapter 7 from John G. Reisinger's book Tablets of Stone & The History of Redemption, published by New Covenant Media. Thanks to the author and publisher for granting permission to share this study on Sabbatismos!
The Sabbath: A Test Case is Chapter 13 from New Covenant Theology: Description, Definition, Defense by Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel. Many thanks to author Fred Zaspel and New Covenant Media for granting permission to share this excellent study on Sabbatismos.
The Law of Christ in Relation to the Law of Moses: Discontinuity is Chapter 12 from A. Blake White's book The Law of Christ: A Theological Proposal, published by New Covenant Media in 2010. This study is shared here by permission of both the author and publisher.
Some Surprising Statistics is Chapter 10 from Tom Wells' book The Christian and the Sabbath. In these excerpts, the author gives
illuminating statistics on and analysis of the words "holy" and "Sabbath" in the Old and New Testaments. Shared by permission.
Sabbath Revelation is Chapter 13 from The Stonecutter's Bride by Samuel Pestes. Read the fascinating story of how God revealed the true meaning of the Sabbath to the author through the text of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2. Shared by permission.
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Below are two additonal Sabbath articles found elsewhere on this site, geared toward Sunday Sabbatarians but still very helpful studies for SDAs.
Cherry-Picking the Commandments by Scott Klusendorf
Is Sunday the "Christian Sabbath"? by Dr. Robert Morey
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Additional Online Resources
How Is Jesus Our Sabbath Rest? is answered superbly here by the online Christian ministry Got Questions?
True Sabbath Rest through Christ is a brief gospel study of Hebrews 4:9-10.
Enjoy Sabbath Rest Today is an excellent article by Sheryl Barker, featured in a 2011 issue of Proclamation! magazine.
Our Sabbath Rest Fulfilled in Jesus Christ is an 8-point study on the Sabbath by Grace Tabernacle.
Are the Sabbath laws binding on Christians today? is a brief Sabbath study by Pastor John MacArthur's ministry, Grace to You.
Jerry Rector's study on the Sabbath is available on the Life Assurance Ministries Website.
Pastor Mark Martin has an excellent study titled The Sabbath & Sunday: Common Misunderstandings.
Who Moved the Sabbath to Sunday? is Rev. Ken Collins' brief historical answer to this question that is so vital to Adventists.
We recommend this booklet by a former-Sabbath keeper and leader in the Worldwide Church of God (now Grace Communion International), Dr. Mike Feazell's The Christian Sabbath: Divine Rest in Jesus Christ.
For those who prefer audio content, we especially recommend sermons by Pastor Mark Martin. You can listen to his excellent presentations on the topics of The Gospel & the Covenants and several sermons on the Sabbath (under the heading of "Messages on the Sabbath") on his Web site. Pastor Mark's sermon titled The Sabbath Keeps Me is Jennifer's favorite!
Books
Sabbath in Christ by Dale Ratzlaff is an in-depth study of the Sabbath in Scripture, written for laypeople. Originally titled Sabbath in Crisis, New Testmant scholar D. A. Carson wrote the foreword to the first edition of this excellent Sabbath study.
Discovering the New Covenant: Why I Am No Longer a Seventh-day Adventist by Pastor Greg Taylor
40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law by evangelical scholar Thomas Schreiner ~ Question 37 directly addresses the Sabbath issue, but the whole book is very helpful for understanding the role of law in the life of a Christian. We highly recommend Dr. Schreiner's clear and concise work.
Sabbath, Circumcision, and Tithing: Which Old Testament Laws Apply to Christians? by Michael Morrison, formerly a Sabbath keeper and leader in the Worldwide Church of God, is accessible online. You may also order a copy on Amazon.
The Sabbath Complete: And the Ascendency of First-Day Worship by Terrence D. O'Hare is a substantial study of the Sabbath in history, endorsed by Dr. Craig
Blomberg (see his book below) and Michael Morrison (whose book is recommended above).
Perspectives on the Sabbath: Four Views ~ In this 2011 publication, edited by Christopher John Donato, Dr. Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminary presents the "Fulfillment" model that Sabbatismos Ministries supports. Adventist pastor Skip MacCarty defends the SDA position, which upholds Saturday as the required day of rest and worship.
From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Investigation, edited by D. A. Carson, is a scholarly work but an excellent resource for those wanting to dig more deeply into the Sabbath issue.
Videos
(Click on the "YouTube" button at the bottom right of each video screen if you'd like to view videos directly from the YouTube site).
We highly recommend this comprehensive study on the issue of the Sabbath in the New Covenant by Chris White of Chris White Ministries.
Called To Be Free, produced by Living Hope Ministries, documents the transformation of the Worldwide Church of God, a Sabbath-keeping denomination with similarities to Adventism. Watch this film online and be blessed by the inspiring testimonies of the denomination's leaders and laypeople! Michael Morrison and Mike Feazell, whose books are both recommended above, are interviewed in this moving documentary.