Adventists claim that there are biblical examples of Christian sabbath observance in the book of Acts.
Acts 1
In Acts 1:12, the disciples travelled a certain distance described as “a sabbath day’s journey“. Adventists argue that this shows they were observing the sabbath by not travelling too far.
In reality, the term is simply being used as a culturally appropriate term for the given distance. They were not watching how far they were travelling that day, because that day was not the sabbath – it was a Thursday. It was 40 days (inclusive, as biblical counting is) after the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection was on a Sunday. Count 40 days, starting with Sunday as day 1, and check which day of the week you end up with when you hit 40. Thursday. There is no way it could have been a sabbath, however you count it.
Read more here – Acts 1 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 13
Starting in verse 14, Paul and company enter the synagogue, and Paul ends up preaching (verse 16). At the end (verse 42), the Gentiles listening wanted to hear more the next sabbath, and that they did (verse 44). Adventists say this shows Paul and company observing the sabbath by attending the local synagogue.
The Bible says that the sabbath was a day of rest – God instructs Israel to rest on the sabbath. There are no instructions in the Bible to gather together for worship services on the sabbath, or to go to the synagogue on the sabbath. Read more on this here – Sabbath rest or sabbath worship?
Paul and company attended a Jewish non-Christian meeting at the synagogue on the sabbath in order to preach to the unbelievers there. The unbelievers attending included Gentiles, because it was common for Gentiles to attend such events, and they even had their own section in the synagogue.
Nothing in the text states that Paul attended the meeting in order to:
- rest in the synagogue
- worship alongside unbelievers in the synagogue
- observe the sabbath in any other way
The text only states that he was there, and he preached, and some followed him afterwards.
What of the Gentiles who wanted to hear more the next sabbath? Why weren’t they invited to a Sunday service the next day if Paul was keeping Sunday?
Go and read Acts 13:42-44. You’ll see that there are three groups mentioned:
- Group 1 – Jews who did not believe and did not follow Paul
- Group 2 – Others (Gentiles) who did not believe and did not follow Paul
- Group 3 – Those who did believe and did follow Paul
Note the timeline.
- Group 1 leaves
- Gentiles want to hear more the next week
- Group 2 leaves – these are the people who wanted to hear more the next week
- Group 3 follows Paul
It’s the Gentiles, who do not all follow Paul, that want him to come back the next week. They’d be attending the Jewish sabbath service in the synagogue, and hoped to hear more then. Those who followed Paul and Barnabas immediately didn’t need to wait for the next Jewish service to hear Paul – surely they got to hear more much sooner than that.
Acts 13 refers to a non-Christian event at which Paul was preaching. Those who didn’t convert continued at non-Christian events. Those who converted went with them and joined in all the Christian events thereafter.
Read more here – Acts 13 – Returning to hear Paul the next sabbath? – and here – Acts 13 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 15
In Acts 15 the Apostles meet in what is known as the Council of Jerusalem. They decide that circumcision is no longer needed by Christians, and they list a few simple rules that do not include resting on the sabbath. Circumcision was the ultimate sign of Jewish identity and their covenant with God. It was superior to the sabbath, and was not delayed because of the sabbath – the Jews were excused from breaking the sabbath in order to perform circumcision. If circumcision itself were to be abolished, that would eliminate the sabbath as well unless the sabbath were explicitly reinstated. The sabbath was not, after all, a moral instruction (see Is the Sabbath moral or ceremonial law?), and we know that the entire legal code of the Old Covenant (the 10 commandments and the rest of the law) was replaced with a new legal code – see the three part series starting here: The Sabbath and the Old Covenant, part 1.
Read more here –
Acts 15 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Sabbath versus circumcision – which is greater?
John 7 – circumcision on the Sabbath
The Sabbath and the Old Covenant, parts 1-3
Is the Sabbath moral or ceremonial law?
Acts 16
In Acts 16:13, Paul and company go down to the river to pray on the sabbath. Adventists claim that this means they were observing the sabbath by attending a worship service at the river.
In reality, they stopped off at a place of prayer, and came across a Jewish woman and her friends and taught them about Christ. None of this constitutes sabbath observance.
The passage states none of the following:
- that they were observing the sabbath
- that they attended a sabbath service
- that they observed the sabbath by resting at the river
- that they observed the sabbath by worshipping (God never instructs that the sabbath is a day of worship in the Bible – see Sabbath rest or sabbath worship?)
- that they prayed because it was the sabbath (they prayed every day, sabbath or not)
Read more here – Sabbath rest or sabbath worship? – and here – Acts 16 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 17
This is similar to Acts 13. Acts 17:17 states that he discussed the Scriptures with the Jews in the synagogue and with other people in the market. He was no more keeping the sabbath holy by talking to Jews on the sabbath than he was keeping market days holy by talking to people in the market.
Read more here – Acts 17 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 18
Again, this is similar to Acts 13 and 17, and indicates a whopping 72 sabbaths, approximately, spent preaching to unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles, in the synagogue.
Again, nothing in the text states that Paul attended the meeting in order to:
- rest in the synagogue
- worship alongside unbelievers in the synagogue (which did not fulfill biblical sabbath observance, which was a day of rest, not a day of worship)
- observe the sabbath in any other way
Read more here – Acts 18 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 20
Finally, Acts 20:7 states that the disciples gathered together for a Christian worship service (the only Christian worship service on a specific day of the week mentioned in Acts) on the first day of the week. The passage does not state whether this took place in the morning, midday, or afternoon of the first day of the week, or whether it took place soon after the sunset that ended the sabbath. It only states that it was on the first day of the week and continued into the next night.
Adventists have argued that this was really a sabbath service that carried on into the night that began with the sunset that ended the sabbath. That is not the case. The passage clearly states that the disciples came together on the first day of the week. They did not come together on the sabbath and stay until the first day of the week. The meeting began once the first day of the week had already begun.
Read more here – Acts 20:7 – a service on the first day of the week?
Further reading
Acts 1 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 13 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 13 – Returning to hear Paul the next sabbath?
Acts 15 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 16 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 17 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 18 – do Christians keep the sabbath in Acts?
Acts 20:7 – a service on the first day of the week?
Sabbath rest or sabbath worship?
