No — the seventh-day Sabbath is not a requirement for the believer today.
Les Feldick teaches that the Sabbath has absolutely nothing to do with the believer today. It was given to the nation of Israel as a seventh-day rest and later incorporated into the Law. Believers stand on resurrection ground, not on the legal ground of the Mosaic system, and Paul never instructs believers to keep the Sabbath.
Acts 20:7 — This verse shows believers gathering on the first day of the week, the day of Christ's resurrection, rather than on the seventh-day Sabbath.
Romans 14:5 — Paul says one man esteems every day alike and another esteems one day above another, which Les uses to show no day is required as a special holy day for believers.
Exodus 20:10 — The Sabbath command itself identifies the seventh day as the sabbath of the Lord, the day of rest tied to Israel under the Law.
Scripture identifies the seventh day as 'the sabbath of the LORD thy God' and commands that no work be done on it (Exodus 20:10). In the New Testament, the disciples are seen coming together on the first day of the week to break bread as Paul preached (Acts 20:7). Paul also writes that one man esteems one day above another while another esteems every day alike, and each should be fully persuaded in his own mind (Romans 14:5). He further declares that love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10).
Les is emphatic: 'The Sabbath has absolutely nothing to do with the believer today.' He explains that the Sabbath was strictly the seventh day, a day of rest for the nation of Israel, given long before the Law and then incorporated into the Law when it came. Because believers are on resurrection ground — not the legal ground of the Mosaic system — the seventh-day Sabbath is not part of the believer's obligation. Les also says it is incorrect to call Sunday the Sabbath. The reason Christians gather on the first day of the week is that Christ rose from the dead on that day; yet Scripture does not set Sunday above the other six days. Paul never mentions the Sabbath commandment for believers, although he does refer to the other nine commandments. For Les, love for God and love for others fulfills the law and keeps believers within the guidelines of God's commandments, without putting them back under the Sabbath system.
No. Les says it is absolutely incorrect to call Sunday the Sabbath. The Sabbath was the seventh day and was given only to the nation of Israel as a day of rest. While Les has nothing against Sunday, and he accepts the first day of the week as resurrection day, he says Scripture does not teach setting Sunday up as a special holy day above the other six days. Every day is alike for the believer.
According to Les, Paul never makes mention of the Sabbath commandment because believers have nothing to do with that command. Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments — including commands against adultery, killing, coveting and bearing false witness, as well as honoring parents — but the Sabbath is the one he never repeats. Love, not Sabbath observance, is what keeps believers in the straight and narrow.
Les corrects a common misunderstanding: the Sabbath was never a day of animal sacrifice in Israel's history. It was a day of total rest and total inactivity. The religious system of sacrifices and ritual was not what happened on the seventh day. The command itself included six days of work and then rest on the seventh.
Les explains that what separates believers from the Mosaic system is the resurrection. We become believers after Christ's resurrection, so we are on resurrection ground rather than on the legal ground of Mount Sinai. The same grace that was revealed to Paul is taken out to the Gentiles. Thus the believer is not to be pulled back into a Sabbath-keeping legal system.
Resurrection Ground
Les connects the believer's standing to Christ's resurrection, explaining that believers are on resurrection ground rather than the legal ground of the Mosaic system and that Paul's grace message went from Mount Sinai to the Gentiles.
Sabbath Given to Israel
Les states plainly that the Sabbath has absolutely nothing to do with the believer today; it was the seventh-day rest for Israel, given before the Law and later incorporated into the Law.
Six Days Work, Seventh Rest
Les shows that the Sabbath command included six days of work and a seventh day of rest, tying it to man's relationship to God.
Paul Never Mentions Sabbath
Les explains that Paul never mentions the Sabbath commandment because believers have nothing to do with it, while love for God and neighbor keeps believers within the moral commandments.
Nine Commands Repeated
Les says Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments but leaves out the Sabbath, showing that the Sabbath was not carried over into the believer's life under grace.
Every Day Alike
Les says the book does not teach Sunday as a special holy day; every day is alike for the believer, and the first day of the week is resurrection day.
Morality Under Grace
Les clarifies that being free from the law does not mean being free from morality; Paul never forsook the moral commandments.
No Sacrifice on Sabbath
Les points out that the Sabbath was never a day of animal sacrifice in Israel's history; it was a day of rest and inactivity.
Exodus 20:10: 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:
Identifies the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord, the rest day that was part of the Law given to Israel.
Acts 20:7: And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
Shows disciples gathering on the first day of the week to break bread — the pattern Les points to for believers after the resurrection.
Romans 14:5: One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
States that believers may esteem every day alike, which Les uses to show that no day is to be treated as a required holy day.
Romans 13:10: Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Summarizes the law's moral core: love does no harm to a neighbor and is the fulfilling of the law.
No. The seventh-day Sabbath was given to the nation of Israel as a day of rest and was later incorporated into the Law. Les teaches that it has nothing to do with the believer today, since believers stand on resurrection ground rather than on the legal ground of the Mosaic system.
No. It is incorrect to call Sunday the Sabbath. The Sabbath was the seventh day, and Sunday is the first day of the week — the day of Christ's resurrection. While the early church gathered on the first day, Scripture does not set Sunday above the other days as a special holy day.
No. Paul never makes mention of the Sabbath commandment for believers. He does repeat the moral commands of the Ten Commandments — such as not committing adultery, killing, or coveting — but the Sabbath is the one commandment he never repeats.
No. Being under grace does not mean a believer may commit adultery, kill, or covet. Paul never forsook the morality of the law. Love for God and love for neighbor fulfills the law and keeps believers in the straight and narrow.
Watch the Teaching: Manna from Heaven & The Sabbath: Law vs. Grace Explained