Question:  Dear Greg,

            My wife and I recently started dedicating Saturday to the Lord as our day of worship, rest and reflection.  We attend church and Bible Study on Sunday, but use the rest of the day to run errands, do chores, prepare for the week, etc.  As I read your answers about the Sabbath, I haven’t been able to discern if you feel a day of rest is required in the New Testament.  Should we still maintain a day of rest, or is Christ within us all the rest we need?

            Thanks,

            William

Answer:  Dear William,

            The key word in your question is “required”.  No, the new covenant does not require any day of rest to be observed and “kept” (as opposed to “broken”) for salvation.  We are saved by Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone.  Christ in us is the hope of salvation, and is the rest to whom we come as Christians.

            But, another question seems to be involved in your comments.  Is a day of rest a good idea?  Is it helpful?  Physical and spiritual rest is helpful, and setting time aside to rest, to pray, to meditate, etc. is helpful, even important for Christians.  But we must avoid the human tendency to mandate a day as required, or to impose something on others that we find helpful.  Such problems are very much part of the history of Christianity, and specifically addressed by Paul in Romans, Galatians, and Colossians.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht