In the first half of Chapter 21, we learned how we are to worship God (according to His Word alone). In the second half of the chapter, the Confession turns to the question of when we are to worship Him.
While Christians are called to worship God every day in private and with their families, God has also claimed a specific, regular portion of our time for Himself. The Westminster Confession articulates the classic Puritan and Presbyterian doctrine of the Christian Sabbath. While some Christians view the Sabbath merely as an expired Jewish ceremony, the Confession argues that it is a perpetual, moral command rooted in creation, intended for our good and God’s glory until the end of the world.
The Confession teaches that God has appointed one day in seven as a perpetual Sabbath; that this day changed from the last day of the week to the first day of the week following the resurrection of Christ; and that it is to be kept holy by resting from all worldly labor and recreation, devoting the entire day to public and private worship, and performing duties of necessity and mercy.
A Perpetual Moral Command (WCF 21.7a)
The Confession grounds the Sabbath in two ways. First, by the “law of nature.” Even general revelation tells us that if God is the sovereign Creator, it is only right that “a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God.”
Second, God has explicitly revealed this in His Word by a “positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages.” Notice the words the divines use. The Sabbath is not a temporary ceremonial shadow that vanished with the Old Covenant. Why? Because the Sabbath was not instituted at Mount Sinai; it was instituted in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:2-3). Before sin ever entered the world, God established the pattern of working six days and resting for one. Therefore, the Fourth Commandment is a permanent, moral creation ordinance binding upon all humanity.
The Change of the Day (WCF 21.7b)
If the Sabbath is a perpetual moral law, why do most Christians worship on Sunday rather than Saturday?
The Confession explains that the principle of the Sabbath is one day in seven. The specific day of the week is determined by God’s redemptive action.
- From Creation to the Resurrection: The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week (Saturday). This celebrated God’s finished work of the original creation.
- From the Resurrection to the End of the World: The Sabbath was changed to the first day of the week (Sunday). In Scripture, this is called the “Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10).
When Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, He inaugurated the New Creation. The early church immediately began gathering on the first day of the week to celebrate this finished work of redemption (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1–2). The Christian Sabbath, therefore, looks back to Christ’s victorious resurrection and looks forward to our eternal rest in heaven.
How to Keep the Sabbath (WCF 21.8)
How exactly does a Christian “keep the Sabbath holy”? The Westminster Confession is famous for its strict, high view of Sabbath observance. It involves three main components:
1. Preparation
Sabbath-keeping actually begins on Saturday. The Confession states that we must engage in a “due preparing of our hearts, and ordering of our common affairs before-hand.” If you want to rest on Sunday, you have to plan for it on Saturday—finishing chores, preparing meals, and settling your mind so that Sunday is free from unnecessary stress.
2. Rest
We are commanded to observe a holy rest “all the day.” What do we rest from? From our “own works, words, and thoughts about our worldly employments and recreations.”
This means we set aside our normal jobs, financial pursuits, and even our normal worldly entertainment and hobbies for one day. (This resting from recreation is a distinct hallmark of the Westminster tradition, based on Isaiah 58:13, which calls us to turn from “doing our own pleasure” on God’s holy day).
3. Worship and Mercy
If we aren’t working or playing our normal sports, won’t we just be bored? The Confession answers with a resounding no. We are freeing up our time so that we can be “taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of His worship.” It is a day for church, fellowship, reading the Word, praying, singing, and resting physically. It is a joyful festival, not a miserable prison.
Finally, the Confession notes two exceptions to the rule of resting from labor, drawing directly from the teaching of Jesus (Matt. 12:1-13):
- Duties of Necessity: Work that simply must be done to preserve life and order (e.g., doctors, police officers, or feeding livestock).
- Duties of Mercy: Work that relieves the suffering of others (e.g., visiting the sick, caring for the elderly).
Conclusion
In a modern world characterized by relentless exhaustion, burnout, and digital distraction, the Christian Sabbath is an incredible gift. God commands us to stop. He commands us to lay down our tools, close our laptops, and step off the treadmill of production. For one day a week, we are reminded that our value does not come from what we produce, but from who we belong to. We rest in the finished work of Christ, enjoying a weekly foretaste of the eternal rest that awaits all the people of God.
Key Terms
- Creation Ordinance: A command or institution established by God at the very beginning of human history (prior to the Fall), such as marriage, labor, and the Sabbath. Because it is rooted in creation, it is binding on all people in all times.
- The Lord’s Day: The biblical name (Rev. 1:10) for the first day of the week (Sunday), the day Christ rose from the dead and the day the New Testament church gathered for worship. It is the Christian Sabbath.
- Works of Necessity: Labor that is strictly unavoidable or necessary to preserve life, health, and basic safety on the Sabbath (e.g., putting out a fire, medical emergencies).
- Works of Mercy: Acts of compassion and charity performed on the Sabbath to relieve the physical or spiritual suffering of others, in imitation of Christ’s healings on the Sabbath.