Which Day Is the True Biblical Sabbath: Saturday or Sunday?

An Invitation to Think Deeply About Scripture, Tradition, and the Apostle’s Teachings

Many Christians today simply assume that Sunday is the biblical Sabbath — the day Christians are commanded to rest and worship. It’s what most churches teach, and what most believers practice.

But when we carefully examine Scripture, history, and God’s own explanation of His holy day, a compelling question arises:

Has the mainstream church misunderstood the Sabbath?
And if so — why?

Let’s explore the evidence together in a friendly, professional, and thought-provoking way.

1. When God First Established the Sabbath — Genesis and Creation #

The very first mention of the Sabbath occurs in Genesis:

“On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day… Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.”
— Genesis 2:2-3 (as explained on Sabbath Truth)

Notice two important facts:

1. This event took place before there was any Israel, Moses, Sinai, or Jewish identity — before any national covenant.

2. God didn’t bless a concept called “Sabbath.” God blessed a specific day — the seventh day.

If the Sabbath began at creation, and if its identity is tied directly to that day, then we have to ask:

Is God’s Sabbath fixed to a specific position in the weekly cycle — the seventh day of the week?
Or is it changeable to honor later church tradition?

Keep that question in mind as we continue.

2. What the Bible Says — Saturday Is the Sabbath #

According to Scripture, the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week — not the first.

The Sabbath was created when God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Scripture teaches that:

• God made the Sabbath by blessing the seventh day.

• The Sabbath is the seventh day — not something apart from it.

• Therefore, if the seventh day is Saturday on the calendar we use today, then that is the day God sanctified.

This line of reasoning is not complicated theology — it’s simple logic grounded in what Scripture says:

If the day God blessed is the seventh day — and that day is Saturday — then the Sabbath is Saturday.

Let that sink in:

The Sabbath is not a general “holy rest day” that can be moved. It is tied to the seventh day itself.

3. What Jesus and the Apostles Taught and Practiced #

Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath on the seventh day. Scripture says:

“As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day…”
— Luke 4:16 (cited by Sabbath Truth)

After His crucifixion, His followers continued to observe the Sabbath:

“And they rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment…”
— Luke 23:56 (also confirmed by Sabbath Truth)

Furthermore:

• Paul regularly taught in synagogues on the Sabbath.

• Gentiles were asking to hear the Word “the next Sabbath.”
  — Acts 13:42-44 (per Sabbath Truth)

None of these passages in the New Testament ever say:

“From now on observe Sunday as the Sabbath.”

That phrase simply isn’t found in Scripture.

Even Bible Sabbath Association materials confirm that:

• The New Testament church continued Sabbath observance.

• There is no explicit biblical statement switching the Sabbath to Sunday.

4. How Sunday Became the Church’s Worship Day — A Church Tradition #

If the Bible does not specify Sunday as the Sabbath, why do most Christians observe Sunday?

The historical evidence indicates:

• Sunday worship did not become widespread until centuries after the apostles lived.

• Early church gatherings on Sunday (e.g., Acts 20:7 or 1 Corinthians 16:2) were not labeled “Sabbath” in Scripture. Rather, they were gatherings for fellowship or giving — not a new Sabbath commandment.

Historical writings — not the Bible — show that early church leaders eventually moved Christian worship from the seventh to the first day, likely influenced by:

• A desire to distinguish Christianity from Judaism after the Jerusalem temple was destroyed.

• Roman cultural practices, including veneration of Sunday as the “sun’s day.”

But none of these history points to a biblical authority for changing the Sabbath.

5. Sunday Is Never Called “Sabbath” in Scripture #

This is a striking fact:

Nowhere in the Bible is Sunday ever named as the Sabbath.
Not once.

Even Sabbath Truth notes:

• While Sunday is mentioned in the New Testament as “the first day of the week,” it is never set aside as a holy Sabbath in Scripture.

• Jesus never instructed believers to observe Sunday instead of the seventh day.

So here’s a thought-provoking question:

If the Bible never names Sunday as the Sabbath — why do most Christians assume it is?

Is it tradition? Culture? Legacy? Or something deeper?

6. Theological Questions the Church Needs to Reconsider #

Here are some questions every believer should ponder:

Why do most churches teach Sunday Sabbath when Scripture consistently points to the seventh day?
Is the practice of Sunday observance rooted in apostolic teaching — or later tradition?
Does honoring Sunday as the Sabbath honor Christ — or sideline His original command?

These are not easy questions. But Scripture deserves careful attention.

Conclusion: Saturday or Sunday? #

After examining:

• What Scripture actually says
• How the apostles observed the Sabbath
• The historical development of Sunday worship
• The absence of any biblical command transferring the Sabbath

…it becomes clear that the true biblical Sabbath is the seventh day of the week — Saturday.

Not because of tradition
Not because of church history alone
But because of Scripture’s teaching, prophetic witness, and consistent biblical usage.

A Final Challenge to the Reader #

Before you read this article and move on, consider this:

• Does Scripture define the Sabbath as the seventh day — or as the first?

• Are we more committed to tradition than to the Bible?

• Has the church inherited a practice that Scripture never authorized as Sabbath?

Faith grows when we ask honest questions.
Truth stands when it is tested against Scripture.

Let the Word of God be your compass — not inherited tradition.