Saturday or Sunday Sabbath?
Freedom from the Law.

Romans 6:14 "You are not under law but under grace" 
 

With the growth of Jews coming to Christ, the growth of the Messianic church and in light of false teachings such as Seventh Day Adventists, and the World Wide Church of God, the question that is often asked is, should Christians worship on a Saturday or a Sunday?

Saturday worship and keeping of the Judaistic law is known as Sabbatarian legalism.
The main churches that observe Sabbatarian Legalism are, the Seventh Day Adventists and many linked churches.
Sabbatarian Pentecostals and Churches named “Church of God”, (Armstrongism) (British Israelites). Who follow the teachings of Herbert Armstrong, 1892 – 1986.

There are as many as 500 denominations that are Sabbatarian Legalists. You can see a list on the website below.

https://www.the-ten-commandments.org/sabbathkeepingchurches.html
 

Non-Sabbatarianism, is the view opposing all Sabbatarianism, declaring Christians to be free of mandates to follow such specific observances. It upholds the principle in Christian church doctrine, that the church is not bound by such law or code, but is free to set in place and time such observances as uphold Sabbath principles according to its doctrine: to establish a day of rest, or not, and to establish a day of worship, or not, whether on Saturday or on Sunday or on some other day. It includes some Protestant denominations.

However, what do the scriptures say?

Well, let’s look at the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments

Exo 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying, 

Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 

Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 

Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

Exo 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 

Exo 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: 

Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

Exo 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 

Exo 20:13  Thou shalt not kill. 

Exo 20:14  Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

Exo 20:15  Thou shalt not steal. 

Exo 20:16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. 

1.You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.You shall not make idols.
3.You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4.Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5.Honor your father and your mother.
6.You shall not murder.
7.You shall not commit adultery.
8.You shall not steal.
9.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
10.You shall not covet.

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Everyone of these commandments are reiterated in the New Testament, all except number 4.
Why?
In the New Testament, Jesus declared Himself "lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8).

Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 
 

He equated Himself with God the Father, becoming God in human form. In addition, Jesus declared,

Mark 2:27"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

In Hebrews 3 and 4, the author developed the concept of Jesus as our Sabbath rest, revealing how a relationship with Christ frees humans from the works of the law and allows a person to rest in the work of Christ to forgive sin. Ultimately, those who believe in Jesus will spend eternity in a "Sabbath rest" with Him.
 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
 

The Apostle Paul spoke about keeping special days.
After Jews were converted to Christ, Jews known as Judaisers came into the churches preaching that new Christian converts must still obey the Jewish laws. The Apostle Paul also referred to these Jews as “the Concision, because they also said that new converts to Christianity should obey the circumcision laws.

Galatians 4:8-11 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have laboured over you in vain.—

The Apostle Paul knew what the false apostles were teaching the Galatians: The observance of days, and months, and times, and years. The Jews had been obliged to keep holy the Sabbath Day, the new moons, the feast of the Passover, the feast of tabernacles, and other feasts.
The false apostles constrained the Galatians to observe these Jewish feasts under threat of damnation. Paul hastens to tell the Galatians that they were exchanging their Christian liberty for the weak and beggarly elements of the world.

Galatians 4:9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Paul even challenged the Apostle Peter at Antioch, on this same question.
When Jews from Jerusalem came to Antioch, Peter himself was drawn away and back into Judaistic legalism.
 

Gal 2:11  But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 

Gal 2:12  For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 

Gal 2:13  And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 

Gal 2:14  But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 
 

What Paul is addressing in Galatians, is the freedom we have in Christ, the fact that we are no longer bound by the law.

The promise of salvation, that was given to Abraham, is separate from the Law, which was given to Moses, much later and for a different reason.
Since Christ has come, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled, and we can rely instead on Christ alone.
 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 

Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
 

Before the coming of this faith in Jesus Christ, we were bound under the law, locked up until the faith that was in Christ would be revealed. So the law was our custodian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian/schoolmaster.

Does this mean that now we are saved, we can just flout the laws and precepts of God? The answer is simply, No.

Paul asked the same question.
Romans 3:31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

When Paul says "You are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14), he certainly does not mean that
we have no obligation to keep God’s law.
 
The Ten Commandments have not been made redundant, they still stand. They have not been abolished.
However, we are bound to a new law, the law under grace.

Jesus Christ consistently upheld the 10 Commandments as given in the Old Testament.
In His Sermon on the Mount, He very pointedly stated: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

On another occasion, a man came to Jesus asking, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17).
 

Responding, Jesus said, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honour your father and your mother’” (verse 19).
 

Jesus summarised the 10 Commandments into two great commandments. The first and great commandment is, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

“And,” Jesus said, “the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (verse 39). 
 

Love of God is the underlying reason we are to keep the 10 Commandments. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

As Christians, it is still wrong to steal, to kill, to covet, to lie, to have other gods and idols and to commit adultery and to covet. We should not take the Lords name in vain. We still should honour our father and mother

Paul is pointing out that "the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God because it does not subject itself to the law of God" and concludes, "Therefore brethren we are under obligation, not to live according to the flesh" (Romans 8:7,12).
 

Titus 2:12,14 "the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age... zealous for good works".
 

Romans 6:14 "You are not under law but under grace", does not give license to sin. We are still obligated to obey,

First. "The law of Christ"  Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

Second. "The law of faith" Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Third.   "The law of the Spirit of life" Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
 

What Paul means by "You are not under law but under grace".
Is made clear in:
 

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
 

Now we are in Christ, we do not live unto ourselves but we live according to our new life in Christ.
What we do, we do unto Christ.
Whether we eat and drink, or not. Whether we celebrate a special day, or not, we do it all unto Christ.
 

Romans 14: 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 
5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 
6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.…
 

When Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, things changed.

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 

 Jesus Christ, the second Adam, “finished” the work that the first Adam failed to do.

Because of the work of Christ on the cross, the church determined that for Christians under the new covenant, the day of worship and celebration of the Lord’s grace in Jesus Christ was to be the first day of the week, Sunday. It became known as “The Lord’s Day”.
From creation to the resurrection of Christ, (who is our Sabbath) was the last day of the week.  
From the resurrection of Christ, it was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.
 

On this day, the first day of the week, we are reminded of and participate in the glorious reality that we have already entered God’s rest.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
 

We await the experience of the fullness of this rest in eternity in the new heavens and new earth.
 

The early church met on the Lord’s day for breaking of bread and prayer.

Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.

We now assemble corporately for worship on the Lord’s Day, Sunday and enjoy a foretaste of our eternal rest,
Then we go out into the kingdom of this world to work for six days.