Our Pleasure on the Sabbath

Christians within the Reformed tradition have agreed that the new covenant Sabbath is the Lord’s Day, and therefore we are to gather for corporate worship on the first day of the week. Since the Sabbath celebrates the redemption of God’s people, and since the greatest act of salvation occurred when Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, the new covenant Sabbath should be observed on Sunday (Deut. 5:12–15; Matt. 28:1–10; see Rev. 1:10).

Although Christians have agreed that Sunday is the new covenant Sabbath and the day on which we should gather with other believers for corporate worship, they have disagreed regarding other aspects of the Lord’s Day. In particular, Christians have debated the place of recreational activities on Sunday and whether they can be part of properly observing Sabbath rest. Some have taken the view that on the Sabbath we are to engage only in worship, rest, and deeds of necessity and mercy—activities required to sustain life or alleviate suffering. Others have generally agreed with this but include within the sphere of rest what might be considered recreational activities such as playing games or engaging in other amusements. We lack the space to get into the full debate here, but it is important to note what both views hold in common, namely, that we are to give careful thought to what we do on the Lord’s Day. It is a day to be set apart and not a day to be treated just as another day off from labor. Truly, we are to glorify God every day of our lives, but the Lord’s Day is to be hallowed as a time on which we are to give special thought to our Lord’s character, God’s plan of salvation, and the state of our souls. We are to do what we can to be engaged in corporate worship with God’s people and to fellowship with them, forsaking not the assembly of believers but gathering together for mutual edification (Heb. 10:25).

Sometimes those who believe that all recreations are forbidden on the Lord’s Day have appealed to Isaiah 58:13–14 to support their position. A surface reading of the text might lead one to that conclusion, but “pleasure” here more likely refers to the labors we engage in to earn a living, not recreational or “fun” activities. The prophet teaches that instead of doing what we want by engaging in our ordinary labors on the Sabbath, we must obey the Lord’s will that we rest from our everyday work. Instead of seeing the Sabbath as another day for commerce, we are to rest and devote ourselves to God as a sign of our trust that He ultimately supplies our needs.