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The Christian Sabbath: Understanding Its Meaning Today

Jim Butler · 2025-07-20 · 344 words · 2 min

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Summary

Expository

Because the eschatological rest to which the weekly Sabbath points has not yet arrived, the typological function of the Christian Sabbath remains in force for the people of God under the new covenant.

Hebrews 4:9 declares that a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God, and this sermon argues that the weekly Christian Sabbath retains its typological force in the new covenant because the consummmate eschatological rest it points toward has not yet arrived. Drawing on G.K. Beale and A.W. Pink, the exposition presses the logic that a sign pointing forward to a reality still future cannot have ceased to function. The hearer is called to receive Lord's Day worship as the market day of the soul and a forward-pointing sign of the eternal rest to come.

Key quotes

If the weekly Sabbath included the function of pointing forward to consumate rest and that rest has not yet come then that weekly Sabbath should continue.
Any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath takes direct issue with the New Testament scriptures.
It truly is the market day of the soul.

Applications

  1. Receive Lord's Day worship as the God-appointed market day of the soul and a forward-pointing sign of eternal rest.
  2. Do not deny the Christian Sabbath — to do so, according to Pink, is to take direct issue with the New Testament Scriptures.
  3. Let the weekly Sabbath orient your eschatological hope toward the consummation rest still to come.

Questions this sermon answers

Does the Sabbath still apply to Christians today?

The speaker argues yes: because Hebrews 4:9 declares a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, and the consummation it typifies has not yet come, the weekly Sabbath retains its obligatory typological function.

What does the weekly Sabbath point forward to?

The weekly Sabbath functions as a typological sign pointing forward to the eschatological, consummation rest that will arrive at the end of the age.

What does Hebrews 4:9 say about the Sabbath?

Hebrews 4:9 contains a plain, positive declaration — 'there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God' — which the speaker takes as a direct New Testament affirmation of the Christian Sabbath.

Sabbath Rest Still Remains

There remainth therefore a Sabbathke keeping. So the Sabbath rest typifies the eternal rest that is to come. That's what he is saying. There remains therefore a Sabbath a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

So there is still a typical signification represented in Lord's day worship that points us forward to that eternal rest that is to come.

Beale: Typology Not Yet Ceased

GK Beal makes the observation if the escatological that means the end times reality of final Sabbath rest has not consently come and it hasn't because we're not in the eternal state. He says then it is unlikely that the typological sign pointing to that ultimate rest has ceased. Other words, if it function in the old covenant to point us forward, how come it doesn't function in the new covenant to point us forward? It truly is the market day of the soul.

He goes on to say that is if the weekly Sabbath included the function of pointing forward to consumate rest and that rest has not yet come then that weekly Sabbath should continue. That's called good logic.

Pink on Hebrews 4:9

I quoted this from last week by uh AW Pink. He says here then commenting on verse 9, there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Here then is a plain, positive, unequivocal declaration by the spirit of God. There remainth therefore a Sabbathkeeping.

Nothing could be simpler, nothing less ambiguous. The striking thing is that this statement occurs in the very epistle whose theme is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism written to those addressed as holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Therefore, it cannot be gained that Hebrews 4:9 refers directly to the Christian Sabbath. Hence, we solemnly and emphatically declare that any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath takes direct issue with the New Testament scriptures.

That's a pretty powerful statement, but in light of what the author in 49 says in the larger context of what's being exhorted and and what is being typified, I think Pink's right on the the money That

Scripture References

Study notes

Theological terms

  • Christian Sabbath×3
  • Eschatology
  • Lord's Day
  • Typology×3

People cited

  • A.W. Pink×2
  • G.K. Beale