Romans 14:5-6 “5 One-man esteemeth one day above another: another every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 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. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eatheth not, and giveth God thanks.”
Does the apostle Paul do away with the Sabbath day in these verses? Answer, no.
Some people have alleged Paul is showing in Rom. 14:5-6 how the Sabbath is not important and one can worship on any day of the week one chooses to. If this were the case Paul would have been contradicting his entire ministry as in fact, he kept the Sabbath. It would have been hypocritical for Paul to tell the Romans they did not have to keep the Sabbath even as he did so.
Notice neither the word “Sabbath” or the “seventh day” is used in these verses. What day of the week was being regarded is NOT stated. The reason being is that Paul was explaining how to help new Christians who were as of yet “weak” in the faith (Rom. 14:1 is the context). Paul did not want to offend new converts, he instead wanted them to look at the more important aspects of salvation (Rom. 14:9). We are all to give an account to God and Paul wanted no one to put any type of a stumbling block in the way of new converts. He wanted the new converts to be “fully convinced in their own minds” as to what they understood and how they worshipped Jesus. He was allowing the new converts to grow in the faith without the stumbling block of being judged.
The Sabbath and Paul in historical context.
Sabbath History: Gen. 2:2-3 God made the Sabbath. God commanded the seventh day Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11). God made the Sabbath day a “sign” between Him and those who obey Him (Ex. 31:13-17). We are not to turn away from the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13). The New Testament Church of God kept the Sabbath Day. It was not changed to Sunday by any act of man (Acts 13:42,44-48). Both Jew and Gentile have the same reward, there is no difference. We all (Jew and Gentile) have the same spiritual obligations to obey God (Gal. 3:28, Rom. 6:23; 3:29-31). Paul preached for three Sabbaths to both Greek and Jew on the Sabbath day in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-2). Paul preached to both Jew and Gentile on the Sabbath day in Corinth (Acts 18:4). All mankind will be compelled to keep the Sabbath day in the future Kingdom of God (Isa.56:1-7). God will gather ALL NATIONS to keep His Holy Sabbath day (Isa. 66:18-24). At the very end of the Bible It says, “blessed are they that do his commandments…” (Rev 22:14). The Sabbath is the fourth commandment.
Paul kept the Sabbath and God’s Holy days as a part of his ministry. Acts 20:6 Paul waited until after the Days of Unleavened Bread to sale to Troas. Paul, as was his practice (See Acts 17:2-3 Three weeks of Sabbath keeping in Thessalonica ; Acts 18;4, 11 Eighteen months of Sabbath keeping in Corinth; Acts 16:13; 13;44, 42, 14 Sabbath keeping with both Greeks and Jews) He was respecting the Holy Days of God of which the Sabbath is one (Lev. 23:1-3).
The main context of Rom. 14 is food and not the Sabbath day. Paul was not doing away with the Sabbath day; he was showing how to encourage and help the new converts to Christianity. See www.cscog7staff.org and read the one-page article titled “Romans 14:2 and Christian Food.”
