�Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy� (Ex. 20:8).�

HE SUBJECT OF THE SABBATH IS SO important for us as Adventists that we made it part of our name. But interest in this topic began to shift during the second half of the twentieth century from a doctrinal concern and the need to observe it to a theological interest that sought to explore the meaning of the Sabbath for us. As a result, a number of excellent studies on the history and theology of the Sabbath were published. Those studies strengthened our doctrinal stand by enriching the significance of the concept of the Sabbath, but there was in them a clear tendency to refrain from dealing with the more pragmatic aspect of how to observe the Sabbath.

In addition, the emphasis on righteousness by faith among us during that same period resulted to some extent in a de-emphasis on obedience

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Living the Sabbath

to the law and a tendency to resist specific instruction concerning Sabbath observance. That reaction was not necessary, because justification by faith and obedience to the law are not incompatible; but the fact is that some so-called evangelical Adventists went so far as to reject the need to keep the law. It is well known now that whole churches separated from the organization and finally abandoned seventh-day Sabbathkeeping.

Trend Continues
The de-emphasis on Sabbath observance is still present among us. There is a tendency in some small circles within the church to consider any discussion of Sabbath observance a return to legalism. The extreme individualism of Western society has also contributed to the conviction that no one should tell anybody else how to practice his or her religion, including how to keep the Sabbath. Consequently, many church members simply do during the Sabbath whatever they think is right or good for them and their families.

There is another element that we should take into consideration as we deal with the question of Sabbath observance. We should acknowledge that the Bible gives us little specific information on how to observe the Sabbath, making it necessary for each one of us to make some personal decisions. However, before we commit ourselves to a particular behavior during the Sabbath, we must consider what the Bible has to say on the subject in order to avoid decisions that would reflect a potentially misinformed personal piety that could lead to either legalism or liberalism. The study of the Bible should assist us to identify principles that can be used to determine how to keep the Sabbath today.

Nature of the Sabbath
The Bible states very clearly that the Sabbath was sanctified by the Lord, that He placed it in our hands, and that He expects us to keep it holy�not to desecrate it (Gen. 2:3; Ex. 20:8).� Here we face a serious difficulty. For reasons that we cannot explore here, the category of the holy is almost unknown in Western societies. The holy is very common in Eastern cultures. They have holy water, holy rivers, holy buildings, holy artifacts, holy stones and wood, and holy religious leaders whom they venerate and respect. We do not have these in Western culture.

Of course, we know that God is holy, but He is not a visible object localized at a particular holy place within our planet where we could go and experience Him. We also talk about the Holy Scriptures, but the tendency is to consider that phrase to refer to the name of a book and not to the nature of the book itself. For many of us, the church building is not in any sense a holy place.

In the Western world the holy has become simply a concept, a theological or intellectual curiosity. Consequently, we do not seem to know how to relate to that which is in fact holy. That lack of knowledge has resulted in a secularization or misappropriation of the holy. We treat it the way we treat other objects because it does not seem to look any different from other similar objects.

Because of sin, the holy does not belong by nature to the realm of human existence. God is the only one who is holy by nature. Nevertheless, He has selected particular things within creation and separated them from the rest of creation by making them holy. That is, He appropriated them, placing them outside the realm of human manipulation and exploitation.

For in-stance, the tithe and the Sabbath are holy; they belong exclusively to God.

How do we keep them holy? By acknowledging that they belong to God and treating them as holy. Let�s explore that a little further.

Keeping the Sabbath Holy
Our awareness of the holiness of the Sabbath is not the result of scientific analysis, but of divine revelation. The same applies to Jesus. The angel said to Mary that the baby to be born was �the holy one� (Luke 1:35). Most probably, no scientific analysis would have uncovered the amazing truth that Jesus was God in human flesh! If we look at the Sabbath by ourselves we will see only a period of 24 hours not intrinsically different from any other day; hence the tendency to treat it as a common day.

A few weeks ago I was returning home from a trip. I got to the airport about 10 minutes before Sabbath sunset. (I avoid as much as possible traveling during the Sabbath, but that is not always possible.) The Sabbath was coming to an end. I sat down and read some passages and quietly prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for a good Sabbath; then I lifted up my head and looked around. It was a small airport, but there were around me a number of people talking or reading magazines or simply waiting. I said to myself, �For them the day just ended was a day like any other; yet from God�s perspective it was holy.�

To keep the Sabbath holy means to use the Sabbath in a way that is compatible with God�s holiness. Only a holy person can keep the Sabbath holy, and that holiness is mediated to us through God�s revealed will. The Sabbath by itself does not sanctify us, but because in order to keep it holy we must submit to God�s loving will, we are sanctified. He has informed us that during the Sabbath we must rest.

First, rest means that no work that will contribute to our self-preservation is to be done. In the Old Testament, and in many parts of the world today, this would include plowing and harvesting the land (Ex. 34:21) or engaging in commercial transactions that will enrich us or provide for our needs (Neh. 13:15-21; Amos 8:5; Jer. 17:21, 22).

Second, rest means that God is responsible for our food during the Sabbath (Ex. 16:23; 35:3; Num. 15:32-36). We prepare it before sunset, and we trust that He will preserve it for us to enjoy during the holy hours. I travel, and if I am not sure that lunch will be provided for me during the Sabbath, I buy some food on Friday and take it to the hotel. Sometimes I�ve been concerned that the food would spoil before the time for Sabbath lunch. But I say to the Lord, �Lord, You promised to take care of the Sabbath food. Here it is; preserve it for me.� So far I haven�t become sick. You see, during the Sabbath the Lord wants to relieve us of the heavy burden, even the anguish, of self-preservation.

The Sabbath hours are emptied of the human concern for self-preservation in order for our Saviour to fill them with the power of holiness. When the holy invades the Sabbath it becomes a day of healing (Luke 14:1-6), a day for saving or preserving the life of others (Mark 3:4; Matt. 12:12), a day of liberation from the enslaving power of work�for the family, for the poor, for the servants, even for the animals (Ex. 20:10).

But above all, it is a day to come into deep contact and communion with our Creator and Redeemer, to praise Him and rejoice before Him (Isa. 58:13, 14). It is not simply a family day. That would be a secular understanding of it. Rather, it�s a day when the family places itself in the hands of a loving God in worship and in service to Him and to others.

A Call for Reformation
We witness with great concern an erosion of proper Sabbath observance in the church. Some church members write to us at the Biblical Research Institute, asking for guidance because they see what is taking place in their churches and they feel disoriented. One of the topics that is often mentioned is going to restaurants during the Sabbath. I acknowledge that in some cases it may be necessary to go to a restaurant during the Sabbath; but that should be the exception, not the rule. Many other examples could be given of improper Sabbath activities, but that is not necessary. It�s time to call the people of God to a revival and reformation concerning� the observance of the fourth commandment. It�s true that the threat of legalism is there, but we should not allow it to intimidate us, because the threat of antinomianism (lawlessness) is also very real. Each church member should be reminded of the great privilege we have to keep the Sabbath holy and should be instructed on what the Scriptures say about how to keep it holy.� The Lord has addressed the subject, and we should listen to Him in order to set limits to our natural sinful tendencies to desecrate the holy.

It�s God�s plan to fill the world with His holiness: �On that day Holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord�s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them� (Zech.� 14:20, 21).

Since the holy will finally fill the world with its presence, we should learn how to handle it today. This will require that we go back to Scripture and listen to what it says: �Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.�

*Scripture references in this article are from the New International Version.
�You can also find useful information in the writings of Ellen G. White on this topic.

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Angel Rodr�guez is an associate director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland.