No — the Sabbath is not a required observance for Christians today.
Les Feldick teaches that the seventh-day Sabbath was given to Israel under the Law and was never reiterated by Paul for the Church. Believers are under grace, not the Law, and are to regard every day alike rather than observing a special holy day.
Romans 6:14 — Paul states that believers are not under the Law but under grace, which removes the Sabbath obligation.
Romans 13:8-10 — Paul's list of the commandments that believers fulfill through love does not include the Sabbath.
Romans 6:14 draws a clear line between the old order and the new: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Paul's argument is that the believer is no longer under the legal system that included the seventh-day Sabbath. In Romans 13:8-10, Paul sums up the commandments the believer is to obey: "Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet," and he says that love is the fulfilling of the Law. The Sabbath command is absent from that list. First Corinthians 16:1-2 records that believers were instructed to set aside their offerings on the first day of the week, not on the seventh-day Sabbath.
Les Feldick is emphatic that believers today are not under the seventh-day Sabbath. He reminds his audience that the Sabbath was part of the Law given to Israel, and before that it was set apart in the manna account, but it was never carried over into the Church. Les points out that Paul refers to nine of the Ten Commandments in his letters, but the Sabbath is "glaringly absent." This omission marks the believer's freedom from the legal system. At the same time, grace is not license: the moral content of the Law is still the perfect law of a holy God, and love for God and neighbor fulfills it. Les also teaches that Sunday is not the Sabbath — it is the first day of the week, and believers should regard every day alike.
Paul's letters are the go-to source for how the Church should live. In Romans 13, Paul lists the moral commands — no adultery, no killing, no stealing, no false witness, no coveting — and says love fulfills the law. Les notes that Paul refers to nine of the Ten Commandments, but the Sabbath is the one he never reiterates. This omission, Les explains, is what separates believers from Israel's legal system. The Sabbath was part of that system; it is not repeated for the Church.
No — Les says plainly, "Don't ever call Sunday the Sabbath." Sunday is the first day of the week; the Sabbath was the seventh day. Les traces the Sabbath back to the manna account in Exodus 16, where it was instituted for Israel before the Ten Commandments were given. In the age of grace, believers are not to regard one day as holier than another; every day is alike. Paul's instruction to bring offerings on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2) is not a command to make Sunday a holy day.
Grace is not license. Romans 6:14 says the believer is not under the Law but under grace, and Paul's immediate follow-up is "God forbid" at the thought of sinning because of grace. Les says the Ten Commandments are still the perfect law of a holy God, and the believer is automatically to adhere to them — not out of legal compulsion, but because love for God and neighbor fulfills the law. The moral commands remain, but the Sabbath command is not one that Paul applies to the Church.
Law vs. Grace
Les explains that believers are no longer under the demands of the Law of Israel but are under grace — and grace is not a license to sin.
The Sabbath Was Under the Law
Les affirms that Christians are not to keep the seventh-day Sabbath because it was part of the Law, and Paul never mentions the Sabbath commandment while he does repeat the moral commands.
Sabbath in the Ten Commandments
Les places the Sabbath command with the first table of the Law — man's relationship to God — because it is called 'the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.'
Paul's Nine Commandments
Paul makes reference to nine of the Ten Commandments, but the Sabbath is glaringly absent, which separates the believer from Israel's legal system. Paul also mentions the first-day collection in 1 Corinthians 16.
Believers Automatically Adhere to the Moral Law
Under grace, the believer will not steal, commit adultery, or worship idols, but Paul never reiterates the Sabbath command.
Every Day Alike
Les teaches that in the age of grace there is no system of worship based on holy days; believers are to regard every day alike, and even Sunday is not a special holy day.
Sunday Is Not the Sabbath
Les instructs that Sunday is the first day of the week, not the Sabbath, and the seventh day was set apart for Israel beginning with the manna in Exodus 16.
Love Fulfills the Law
Les points to Romans 13:8-10 where Paul sums up the moral commandments in love for one's neighbor — love does no harm, so love fulfills the Law.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
This is the foundation for Paul's teaching that believers are released from the Law, including the Sabbath.
Romans 6:15: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Paul immediately guards against the idea that grace gives permission to sin.
Romans 13:9-10: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Paul's summary of the commandments for believers omits the Sabbath.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2: Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
The first day of the week is mentioned for church practice, not as a Sabbath substitute.
Exodus 16:26: Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
The Sabbath was instituted for Israel in the manna account before the Ten Commandments.
No, Les Feldick is certain that believers today are not required to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. It was given under the Law and was part of Israel's legal system. Paul never reiterates the Sabbath command for the Church.
No. Sunday is the first day of the week, not the seventh-day Sabbath. Les says, "Don't ever call Sunday the Sabbath." Believers are to regard every day alike, and even Sunday is not set up as a special holy day in Scripture.
No. Grace is not license. Romans 6:15 asks, "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." The moral commands are still relevant because love does no harm to a neighbor.
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