Let’s unpack this carefully.
What Is Righteousness by Faith?
The Bible is crystal clear: righteousness by faith is being declared righteous before God based on Christ’s finished work alone, not based on law-keeping.
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“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28)
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“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law… the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22)
Paul does not say, “apart from some laws but still tied to the Sabbath.” He says, “apart from the law.” Period.
Righteousness by faith means that when we believe in Christ, His obedience and sacrifice are credited to us. We stand before God clothed not in our law-keeping, but in Christ’s perfect obedience.
The Sabbath Command in the Old Covenant
The Sabbath command was given to Israel as part of the covenant at Sinai (Exodus 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12 15). It was a sign of that covenant between God and Israel:
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“Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath… It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever.” (Exodus 31:16-17)
Notice: The Sabbath was never given to the nations. It was a covenant sign like circumcision that marked Israel off as God’s chosen nation.
So to argue that righteousness by faith today requires Sabbath-keeping is to confuse the Old Covenant sign with the New Covenant reality.
Christ as the Fulfillment of the Sabbath
The New Testament repeatedly points to the fact that Jesus Himself is the true Sabbath rest.
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“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
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“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God… For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:9-10)
The writer of Hebrews wasn’t calling Christians back to the seventh-day law of Moses. He was pointing them forward to Christ. The “Sabbath rest” is fulfilled in Jesus, where we cease striving for righteousness by works and trust in His finished work.
If righteousness by faith included Sabbath-keeping, then Paul, who fought tooth and nail against Judaizers, would have included it in his gospel. Instead, he says:
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“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” (Colossians 2:16)
That’s as clear as it gets. Sabbath observance was a shadow pointing to Christ (Col. 2:17). Once Christ came, the shadow no longer bound believers.
The Danger of Adding Law to Faith
The Judaizers in Galatia argued that Gentiles needed Christ plus circumcision to be justified. Paul rebuked them sharply:
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“You who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)
Replace “circumcision” with “Sabbath,” and the logic stands: if you insist that righteousness by faith requires Sabbath-keeping, you are preaching Christ plus works. And Paul says that is another gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).
The Christian’s True Obedience
Does this mean Christians throw away the moral law? Of course not. Righteousness by faith produces a transformed life that obeys the Law of Christ (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 6:2).
But this law is not the Old Covenant tablets; it is the New Covenant command to love God and love neighbor, which fulfills the law (Romans 13:10).
Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. Instead, we see the early church gathering on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2) to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.
Conclusion
Righteousness by faith does not include keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. To demand that is to smuggle Old Covenant shadows into the New Covenant gospel. The true Sabbath is found in Christ, not in a day.
So when Adventists ask, “Does faith establish the law, including the Sabbath?” the biblical answer is: faith establishes the law by showing its fulfillment in Christ not by dragging believers back under Sinai.
We rest not in the seventh day, but in the person—Jesus Christ.
Former Adventists Philippines
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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