Here is something I wrote explaining what I believe the Bible teaches regarding this issue.
Grace and Peace,
Michael
Must Christians Keep the Sabbath?
I am firmly convinced by the teaching of Scripture that God does NOT require Christians, under the New Covenant, to keep the sabbath day. Here are the reasons why I believe this.
1) The sabbath was only a shadow of things to come.
Colossians 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Whether it was a yearly sabbath or a weekly sabbath (day of rest) it was symbolic and, therefore, fulfilled in Christ. Why would I still need to keep a symbol when Christ has now brought the reality of that symbol? And according to this verse, no man may judge me (as being wrong) for not keeping it. This is only possible if the sabbath is no longer valid.
2) The sabbath is fulfilled in the rest of salvation.
Hebrews 4:4-5 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest ...
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
God has a rest that we may enter into when we are saved. The sabbath day was a symbol of that rest. Once we are saved we no longer need to keep the symbol.
3) The sabbath was a sign of the Old Covenant God made with Israel.
Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Why would a believer under the New Covenant, be required to keep a sign that was made with someone else under a different covenant? What if I signed a contract (a covenant) to buy a house and then informed you that you were also required to make payments? Would you go for that?
4) There is no command in the NT to keep the sabbath.
Of the 10 commandments given in the OT, all of the other 9 commandments are reaffirmed (though not as laws) in the NT with the exception of the sabbath day. Now why is this the case? All of the law was fulfilled by Christ, but many of the commandments contained eternal abiding prinicipals of right and wrong that are still true. Although we are not under these commandments as a law, the principals of right and wrong that they contain are still valid.
For example, we would all agree that it is still wrong to steal, murder, commit adultry, covet, etc.. Nine of the ten commandments contained these eternal abiding principals of right and wrong. So it is no strange thing that we see them reaffirmed as true (though not as laws) in the NT. But the sabbath day was wholly ceremonial and contained no eternal abiding principal of right and wrong. Therefore, it was not repeated in the NT.
5) The Jerusalem counsel decided that New Covenant believers did not need to keep it.
Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Acts 15:19-20 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
People might say "I wish that we could gather together all of the apostles and elders of the early church and ask them if we need to keep the sabbath or not." If we could would you abide by their decision? Well there is no need to do it because they already met. The account of their meeting is recorded for us in Acts 15. They met to consider what was required of gentile (non-Jewish) believers under the New Covenant. Guess what is missing from their list -- the sabbath day of course. So, who is any man today to say that we must keep that which the apostles (and the Word of God) say we do not have to?
6) There are no holy days under the New Covenant.
Galatians 4:9-11 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
There are no holy days any longer under the New Covenant. Paul is concerned that many of the Galations may not saved (lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain) because they think that there are. The keeping of days is referred to as "weak and beggarly elements" which bring people into bondage.
7) The Bible says that it is ok to esteem every day alike.
Romans 14:5-6 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. ...
Now this could only be true if we are NOT required to keep the sabbath today. If we were required to honor and keep the sabbath day holy, then it would not be OK to esteem it just like any other day. The very fact that Scripture tells us that it is OK to esteem every day alike, shows us clearly that the commandment to keep the sabbath day is no longer binding.