The Christian Sabbath

Another significant verse that is worthy of close attention is Hebrews 4:9, “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (NASB). This verse has been interpreted against any form of Sabbath-keeping; they misunderstood it as the final rest that will culminate on the Lord’s second coming. Hence, no particular day is necessary to be called as the believers rest in God. However, the author here changed the Greek word that he uses for the idea of rest from katapausis (cp. 3:11, 18; 4:1, 3, 5, 10, 11) to sabatismos (4:9). So, why a sudden change of word in verse 9? John Owen comments “he calls it ‘sabbatism,’ to express both the rest itself and the observation of another day likewise, as a pledge and token of that other rest of God, and our spiritual interest therein…and what day this is hath been declared, namely, the first day of the week.” (John Owen, A Commentary on Hebrews, 1478) The author simply tells us that while we are waiting diligently for the final rest that is to come, we anticipate it by resting on the day that He appointed for us to rest from all of our labors and to rest in Him, that is the Lord’s day.