Christians are not commanded to keep the sabbath

There is no commandment given by Christ to His followers to keep a day holy.  No day.  This is not to say you cannot have a day that you meet others for corporate worship, or you cannot have a day of physical rest, but it is completely unbiblical for anyone to say it is binding on Christians, or that it is a sign of being a Christian.  Christ said that loving one another is the sign that we love Him.  John 13: 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

To those who say the sabbath is the sign, let me remind you of its beginnings.  Exodus is the first mention, when it was given to the children of Israel, first in Ex16 with the manna, and then Ex 20 with the covenant.  In Ezekiel 20:12 we read Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.  Ezekiel 20 is worth reading, it gives a very concise history of the Israelites.

Because it was a sign of the covenant (and not the seal, it is unbiblical to claim that) it was never given to anyone else.  That covenant was with the children of Israel, ONLY.  (ex 20:2)

The sabbaths pointed backwards to God resting (ceasing) on His finish of creation, and also forward to Jesus, to the rest that only He could give.  It also pointed forward to His time in the tomb.  In the words of the hymn, in Christ Alone:

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

The sabbath was the sign post, the shadow, Christ is the reality.

The Israelites used a lunar/solar calendar, different to the one we use.  Each month started on the new moon, with witnesses reporting the first sliver of light of the moon.  Later the calendar became fixed, but initially it was governed by the phases of the moon.  This meant that sabbath, like the new moon day could be any time.  It was rarely on the day we call Saturday. Saturday was not given its name till many years after Christ, being named after a pagan Roman deity.

Remember then that salvation has nothing to do with the day on which you worship corporately.  We are called to worship in spirit and truth, and we are called to worship our Saviour, the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ, who calls us to Him to give us rest for our souls.

So worship corporately on the day of your choosing.  Worship Him with your lives, and love God, your neighbour, your enemy and each other as He commanded, and also remember that this is what shows the world that you are a follower of Christ.  “If you have love one for another”.

Worship daily.  Rest in Him daily.