This article is about Sabbath observance and is written with those in mind who have already made a

decision to accept Jesus into their lives as personal Saviour and have started a relationship with Him. If you
are not part of this group, then perhaps this article will be of less value to you. Nevertheless, this article
might help you receive a clearer understanding of what Christians do (or should be doing if they want to
live like Jesus in the truest sense and follow every word that proceeds from the mouth of God).
Jesus makes many beautiful promises. I want to share one of them. He says that, If any man will do his will,
he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself (John 7:17). If we are
sincerely seeking the will of God, then He will reveal to us what is true as we keep on seeking. I am grateful
that God helps us to know what is true. When we search for truth, we often read what other men wrote (as
you are doing right now while reading this article). And more often than not, the author will claim that
what he wrote is true. I think it is very rare to come across an article where the author states that what he
wrote is false. We should fear men, because they are men and men are sinful and tend to err. This is why I
love that promise in John 7:17. If we are sincerely seeking the will of God, then He will reveal to us what is
true as we keep on seeking. Before reading this article, I think it would be appropriate to take a moment to
ask God to reveal His will. And while reading this article, read it carefully. Think through the thoughts
carefully. Think deeper.
The Sabbath was established at creation. Because the Sabbath was instituted in Eden, we know that it was
given to the whole world. In Genesis 2:3 we read that God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:
because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. This Sabbath day was a
memorial and reminder of creation and was a token of Christs power and His love. It calls us to appreciate
creation and enter into a closer relationship with the Creator. When we see how God takes care of the
nature, it is comforting to know that He is our Creator who also takes care of us. We stand amazed at the
marvellous works of our Creator. There are many other beautiful connections with the Sabbath which are
outside of the scope of this article.
The Bible has magnificent promises for those who accept the Sabbath. Isaiah 56 says that God will bring
them to His holy mountain and He will make them joyful. I would surely like to be part of this group of
people. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of
the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it
(Isaiah 58:14). In Isaiah 66 we are told that we will even celebrate the Sabbath day on the New Earth. From
the reading of the Word of God one can clearly see how important this institution is for God and the people
who love Him.

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Exodus 16 gives us evidence that even the Israelites knew about the Sabbath before it was given with the
Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. The Fourth Commandment reads as follows,
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son,
nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it (Exodus 20:8-11).
When reading this commandment, we can ask some important questions. Lets look at some important
questions and issues worthy of Sabbath consideration.
When is the Sabbath day?
From Exodus 20:10 we can see that the Bible makes it clear that the seventh day is the sabbath day of the
Lord. Genesis 2:3 also makes it clear that the seventh day is the Sabbath day. Checking any reliable
dictionary should confirm the seventh day being Saturday. The Jewish records also prove that the seventh
day of the weekly cycle has remained unchanged and still remains to be Saturday. It may also be helpful to
note how modern astrologers confirm that there has also been no change in the weekly seven day cycle.
More importantly, we can study the gospels and prophecies of the Bible that point to Jesus dying on Friday,
resting on the grave on the Sabbath (Saturday) and being resurrected early on the first day of the week
(Sunday). For more information on the above mention topic, please contact the author of this article.
In connection with this first question, we might wonder when a day starts. God does not leave us in the
dark. Leviticus 23:32, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. A biblical day starts from
sunset and ends at sunset. Genesis 1:5 also proves that the dark portion of the day comes before the light
portion, And the evening and the morning were the first day. We have enough evidence throughout the
Bible to show that a day is measured from sunset to sunset. The seventh day, or Saturday, thus starts at the
setting of the sun on the sixth day (Friday) and will end when the sun sets on the seventh day. This is when
we should celebrate the Sabbath day.
I believe this first question should not be too complicated to answer for believers. We could give the
answer to when the Sabbath day is in about 272 words (as done above). From a plain reading of the Bible
one should not be confused. Most professed Sabbath-keepers agree on when the Sabbath is, but there is
another question which I believe is a bit more complicated. It is not the question that is complicated, or the
real answer to the question, but rather the answers that people give sound complicated.
What does it mean to keep the Sabbath day holy? or asked in a different way, How do we keep the
Sabbath holy? This question is probably not as easy to answer for most believers compared to the the first
question. The when does not seem to cause too many problems, but it seems to me that it is the how
that seems to require clarity. Most of us can agree on the when, but do we agree on the how?
Imagine for a moment that you are having lunch with a group of Sabbath keepers. Suddenly a middle aged
man asks a couple of questions about Sabbath observance. I have listed some questions as examples below.
While reading through them, think about the way that people usually answer these questions. Do people
agree on how to keep the Sabbath holy, or do you think that you would get different answer from different
people?

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If I cant pay money on the Sabbath, can I use public transport?

Should I even travel on the Sabbath?
Am I allowed to swim on the Sabbath?
Can I cook on the Sabbath?
Am I allowed to take a bath on the Sabbath?
Can I study for my Bible class on the Sabbath?
Is it okay for me to play ball with the kids at the orphanage on a Sabbath?
Can I teach English to the poor villagers on the Sabbath?
Maybe you have had a similar experience where it seems like most of the Sabbath keepers agree on when
the Sabbath is, but they dont agree on how to keep it holy. But is it really that important to know how to
keep the Sabbath holy? Or is it enough for us to understand when the Sabbath starts and ends.
Exodus 20:8 commands us to Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The word Remember is at
the beginning for a reason. I have often heard evangelists teach that God started this commandment with
the word remember because He knew that people would forget on which day the Sabbath is. This could
be true, although it seems that the Israelites never forgot on which day the Sabbath is. If we travel to Israel
today then we will find the Israelites are still celebrating the Sabbath day on the seventh day, Saturday. But
the commandments were not only for the Israelites, and some other nations have perhaps forgotten on
which day the Sabbath is. I would like to suggest that maybe there is another reason why the command has
the word remember. Could it be that people would not only forget on which day the Sabbath is, but more
importantly people would forget to keep the day holy even when they knew which day it was on? This is a
biblical idea. If my teacher instructed me to take care of my friend and said, Remember Paul, to take care
of him, what does she really want me to remember? Of course she wants me to remember Paul. Paul is
the direct object to be remembered. But to take care of him provides the reason for remembering. My
teacher is not really as much concerned with me forgetting who Paul is, than for me to forget to take care
of Paul. I can know and remember who Paul is, but I can forget to take care of him. And so it is with the
Fourth Commandment. The purpose of remembering the Sabbath day is to keep the day holy. God knew
that people would know when the Sabbath day is, but they would forget to keep it holy.
Deuteronomy 5 supports this idea as well. Note that when the Fourth Commandment is here stated again,
the words are different than the ones we find in Exodus 20. But if we follow the same idea presented, then
the emphasis remains exactly the same. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath
commanded thee (Deuteronomy 5:12). Here we can see that the emphasis, just like in Exodus 20, is on
keeping the day holy more than to simply remember to correctly identify the Sabbath day. And so we can
conclude that only being able to correctly identify when the Sabbath starts and ends and not keeping the
day holy makes us Sabbath keepers just as much as knowing who your parents are but not honouring them
makes you an honourer of your parents.
If you do not know who your parents are, then you cant honour them. You are not keeping the Fifth
Commandment and Satan is completely happy with that. But if you do know who your parents are, then
Satan will try to make you forget to honour them. Then you are still not keeping the Fifth Commandment
and Satan is completely happy with that. Whether you know who your parents are or not, if you do not
honour them then you are not keeping the Fifth Commandment and Satan is happy with that. However,
Satan is only unhappy when you know who your parents are and when you honour them. Only then are you
a Fifth Commandment keeper.

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This same principle applies to the Fourth Commandment. That is, if you do not know when the Sabbath day
is, then you cant keep it holy. You are not keeping the Fourth Commandment and Satan is completely
happy with that. But if you do know when the Sabbath day is, then Satan will try to make you forget to
keep the day holy. Then you are still not keeping the Fourth Commandment and Satan is completely happy
with that. Whether you know when the Sabbath day is or not, if you do not keep it holy then you are not
keeping the Fourth Commandment and Satan is happy with that. However, Satan is only unhappy when you
know when Sabbath day is and you keep it holy. Only then are you a Fourth Commandment keeper.
We can understand how important it is to have the correct understanding of how to keep the Sabbath day
holy. We can also clearly understand why most professed Sabbath-keepers do not agree on how to keep it
holy and this is exactly where Satan wants people to be.
True observance of the Sabbath is the sign of loyalty to God. Manuscript Releases, Volume 15, page 32
It is not about knowing that Saturday is the Sabbath (and not Sunday) that is the sign of loyalty, but it is the
true observance of Sabbath which is the sign. Ellen White makes this point very clear throughout her
writings. But is this biblical?
The answer is found in Exodus 31:13, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my
sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know
that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. It is the keeping of the Sabbath that is the sign. If I know which
day the Sabbath is, but I do not keep it holy then I do not have the sign. Verse 14 encourages us to keep the
day holy, Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you:
Verse 16 also commands us to keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations
and verse 17 says that It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever.
If keeping the day holy is of such importance, then how do we keep it holy? Does the Bible provide us with
some principles? The Bible does not deal directly with many of the specific questions (like the ones I listed
earlier) we may have regarding Sabbath observance in our day. God provides us with general principles that
are applicable in every day and age. The principles are universal and perpetual.
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath
a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding
thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: (Isaiah 58:13).
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work (Exodus 20:10).
What are some principles that the Bible gives us?
We should not do our work, find our own pleasure, do our own ways or even speak our own words.
Nothing with a common purpose should be done on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is reserved for holy purposes
only.
The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no
labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creating, and
rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote
those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds. The Desire of Ages, page 207

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The principle about the Sabbath is therefore to keep in mind whether we are serving selfish desires by
engaging in our own purposes, or if we are engaging in Gods purposes on His holy day that He made for us.
That is the plain teaching of the Bible.
When it was necessary for Jesus to heal someone on the Sabbath He could do so, because healing the sick
is one of Gods purposes. When it is necessary to travel on the Sabbath to engage in Gods purposes then it
is lawful. When we help people it is lawful, because it is Gods purposes.
Before we do anything on the Sabbath, we should ask ourselves, Is this one of Gods purposes, or is it my
own purpose? This is the true principle for Sabbath observance presented in the Bible and writings of Ellen
White.
Every working of Christ in miracles was essential, and was to reveal to the world that there was a great
work to be done on the Sabbath day for the relief of suffering humanity, but the common work was not to
be done. Pleasure seeking, ball playing, swimming, was not a necessity, but a sinful neglect of the sacred
day sanctified by Jehovah. Selected Messages Book 3, page 258
Is ball playing my purpose or Gods purpose?
Is sleeping away the Sabbath afternoon my purpose or Gods purpose?
Is swimming my purpose or Gods purpose? Now when a little child falls in the river and we have to swim to
rescue them, then it becomes Gods purpose. But if we are merely swimming to seek our own pleasure,
then it is our own purposes.
Sabbath observance is better understood when we acknowledge the true biblical principles for Sabbath
observance.
Again, the priests in the temple performed greater labor on the Sabbath than upon other days. The same
labor in secular business would be sinful; but the work of the priests was in the service of God. They were
performing those rites that pointed to the redeeming power of Christ, and their labor was in harmony with
the object of the Sabbath. The Desire of Ages, page 285
The principle is not the amount of work that you do, but it is the type of work that you do. Even if it takes a
lot of work to help someone, then it would still be lawful. Even if it takes a small amount of work to think
about my business cares on the Sabbath, then it would still be unlawful. Even if it takes a small amount of
work to do my own purposes on Facebook on the Sabbath, then it would still be unlawful.
It was the Jewish leaders who fulfilled the purposes of Satan by making the Sabbath full of burdensome
requirements. Of course, in every spiritual work there are common aspects. When I preach, I must first get
dressed. When I visit the sick, I must drive my car. The Jews corrupted the Sabbath by placing the barrier
between secular exertion and spiritual exertion when the commandment rather places it between secular
endeavours and holy endeavours. The Jews placed many laws and restrictions on the Sabbath, and today
many Christians are doing the same. This is because they have forgotten the true principle of Sabbath
observance. Where today people have many rules concerning the Sabbath, God only gave us one principle:
Not to do our own purposes on the Sabbath.

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Jesus did not spend much time on teaching the people when the Sabbath day was, because most already
knew. But He spent a lot of time trying to help them to understand the true principle of Sabbath
observance.
The disciples, in doing the work of Christ, were engaged in God's service, and that which was necessary for
the accomplishment of this work it was right to do on the Sabbath day. Christ would teach His disciples and
His enemies that the service of God is first of all. The object of God's work in this world is the redemption of
man; therefore that which is necessary to be done on the Sabbath in the accomplishment of this work is in
accord with the Sabbath law. The Desire of Ages, page 285
My purposes vs Gods purposes
Let us look at an example of how some people today have forgotten the true Sabbath principle and keep
the Sabbath like the Pharisees.
And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath
unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which
remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning (Exodus 16:23).
A plain reading of this text will command us not to bake, cook or boil on the Sabbath. Ellen White quotes
this same verse and then states that our food should be prepared on the Preparation Day, Friday.
Today, many people explain the passage in a similar way to what I write here below:
In the times of the Bible and Ellen White it took a lot longer (more work) to prepare food. They had to
collect wood to make a fire. Today, we have stoves and other technologies and dont need to collect fire
wood. Therefore, we save a lot of time. It is not that much work and it is okay for us to do this work on the
Sabbath.
Can you see the problems with this argument? Because there are several problems.
What is the principle for Sabbath observance in the argument stated? The principle presented is the
amount of work being done or amount of time being taken up. And those are the exact principles that the
Pharisees were using for their Sabbath observance. Jesus was teaching us that it is not the amount of work,
or time of the work, but it is the type of work. If our principle for Sabbath observance is the amount of work
being done, or the amount of time, then we are basically saying that in the time of the Israelites and Ellen
White they had to steal a lot of time from God, but today we only have to steal a small amount of time
from God.
Cooking on the Sabbath should be avoided; but it is not therefore necessary to eat cold food. In cold
weather the food prepared the day before should be heated. The Ministry of Healing, page 307
We are told that we can heat up the food on the Sabbath. But how did the Israelites or Ellen White heat up
the food? Didnt they use fire and wood to heat up the food anyway? Therefore the fire wood argument
cannot be true. If they thought that only collecting firewood, and not cooking, was the problem then the
Bible would have told the people to arrange the firewood on the Friday so that they can cook on the
Sabbath. Firewood can be collected weekly, not necessary daily. Clearly cooking was the main issue being
addressed as the verse clearly states.

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In other words, what makes cooking on Sabbath evil is not the volume of effort needed to do it. If it were a
lot of effort, it would still be holy if it were part of God's work for us. But it is not. The passages from the
Bible and Ellen White reveal that cooking is considered part of our "work" that should be done during the
six working days. Cooking food is for our own purposes and not necessarily the purpose of God. But feeding
persons with the food cooked on the Preparation day (according to Exodus 16) is a perfectly sensible part of
Sabbath activities, because feeding people is one of Gods purposes, and therefore we can heat up the food
on the Sabbath as part of serving a meal. Even if it were a great deal of work to do it, it is God's work to
meet the physical needs of persons on the Sabbath in the way He specified, which is with pre-prepared
items.
It isn't the much-work-on-Friday and less-work-on-Sabbath, but it is my-work-on-Friday and God's-work-onSabbath. And Exodus 16 gives us an inspired commentary on how God views the somewhat grey area of
food. We should prepare it beforehand, but we can serve it on Sabbath in a palatable way.
God has given us the Preparation Day, Friday, to do our work so that we do not have to do it on His holy
day. Everything that can be done in advance should be done in advance. However, there are certain things
that cannot be done in advance, e.g. I cannot brush my teeth on a Friday, so that I do not have to brush my
teeth on the Sabbath morning. I also cannot wear my church clothes on a Friday, so that I do not have to
get dressed on the Sabbath morning. However, I can iron my clothes on a Friday, so that I do not have to
iron them on the Sabbath. I cannot drive my car to church on Friday, so that it will be there on Sabbath, but
I can fill it up with gas on Friday so that I do not need to do that on the Sabbath.
When it comes to bathing (Ellen White mentions this in 6T, page 355), if you view a daily bath as an
essential part of personal hygiene, then even though you take a preparatory bath on Friday afternoon, you
might still feel a need to take another on Sabbath morning because of sweat that built up in the night. In
that case, I think no-one could really condemn you as inconsistent. On the other hand, if you neglect to
take one Friday afternoon in view of your plan to take one Sabbath morning, that would be missing the
point. Conscientious persons in climes where heat and humidity do not produce a steady stream of sweat,
typically shower Friday morning, Friday before sunset and Saturday evening. They could even take a sweatfreeing shower Sabbath afternoon if they were feeling yucky and gross. It would be Friday, however, that
they washed their hair, scrubbed thoroughly, etc.
When we truly observe the Sabbath according to the principles that are presented in the Bible, we will
receive the blessings that God has promised to those who obey. Sabbath observance becomes a lot easier
and we can delight ourselves in the Sabbath of our God. We do not need to make rules like the Pharisees,
but we can observe the Sabbath according to the principles that are presented in the Bible, because of love
for our Creator. My purposes vs Gods purposes.
Those who reverence the commandments of Jehovah will, after light has been given them in reference to
the fourth precept of the Decalogue, obey it without questioning the feasibility or convenience of such
obedience. God made man in His own image and then gave him an example of observing the seventh day,
which He sanctified and made holy. He designed that upon that day man should worship Him and engage in
no secular pursuits. No one who disregards the fourth commandment, after becoming enlightened
concerning the claims of the Sabbath, can be held guiltless in the sight of God. Testimonies for the Church
Volume Four, page 247

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If we are telling our kids not to play football on the Sabbath, but encourage them to play ball with the
orphans at the orphanage, then we are being inconsistent. We are keeping the Sabbath like the Pharisees.
God has given us six days which we can use for our own purposes. If we are consistent in our Sabbath
keeping, then the world will see our consistency as a precious and brilliant jewel and realize that we truly
love God by our obedience to His Sabbath in spirit and truth.
I was shown that if the true Sabbath had been kept there would never have been an infidel or an atheist.
The observance of the Sabbath would have preserved the world from idolatry. Life Sketches of James
White and Ellen G. White, page 236
If we are unwilling to talk about our own purposes on a Sabbath or engage in our own activities on the
Sabbath, then the world will see that our love for our Creator is true.
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).
Oxygen was made for man, and not man for oxygen. Oxygen can exist without man, but it will have no
purpose. Man cannot exist without oxygen. In the same way the Sabbath can exist without man, but it will
have no purpose. And without the Sabbath, man will cease to exist in the way God intended.
In this age of materialism, the Sabbath observance points us to the spiritual and personal. True observance
of the Sabbath is the sign between God and His people. Forgetting to keep the Sabbath holy is serious. We
could eliminate ourselves from being part of His people. Forgetting to keep the Sabbath holy will distort
and destroy our relationship with God. The law only becomes a burden when we transgress it. God has
given us six days for our own purposes, and He reserves the seventh day for His purposes.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

I would like to hear from you! Please forward your questions, comments or corrections to my email
address below. If you have sincere love for Gods Word, have found some of my articles meaningful or
helpful and would like to support this ministry, please also contact me by using the email address below:

ArminKritzinger@live.com
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