Grace, Covenant, and Shabbat: Part II – Living the Fourth Commandment
Grace and the Fourth Commandment: Did Jesus End the Sabbath or Restore It?
What if Sabbath was never about earning salvation? What if it was God’s weekly gift of covenant love — given not to make us righteous, but because He has already redeemed us?
Many have been told that Jesus ended the Old Covenant and that Sabbath-keeping is legalism or even the “curse of the Law.” But when we read Scripture in its Ancient Near Eastern context, we find a different story — one where grace and obedience are not enemies, and where Yeshua’s own life makes the Sabbath more beautiful, not less.
Many believers have been told that Jesus ended the Old Covenant and that keeping the Sabbath is legalism or the curse of the Law.
The Fourth Commandment... Sabbath Observance? Part One!
Join us for a powerful Part II; Monday 18, 7 PM EDT!
Grace, Covenant, and Shabbat: Part II – Living the Fourth Commandment
Grace, Covenant, and Shabbat: Part II – Living the Fourth Commandment
Part II – Building on the foundation from Part I, we now explore how Shabbat is not legalism but covenant life. From Exodus to Hebrews, from Paul to Yeshua Himself, Scripture reveals that Sabbath is a creation gift, a covenant sign, and a delight for all nations.
Tonight we will cover:
•Covenant order: redeemed first, then obedience.
•Shabbat as creation gift and perpetual sign.
•Did Yeshua abolish or fulfill the Sabbath?
•Colossians 2, Hebrews 8, Ephesians 2 in context.
•How Gentile believers were always included (Acts 15).
•The curse of the Law vs. the Spirit’s empowerment.
•Practical steps: How to honor Shabbat without legalism.
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Grace First, Then Covenant Living
In the Bible’s covenant order, rescue always comes first. God brought Israel out of Egypt before giving the Torah. This pattern matters: we do not keep the commandments to become God’s people — we keep them because we already are His people.
Romans 7:12 says the Law is holy, righteous, and good. Psalm 119 delights in it. The Sabbath is not presented as a burdensome ritual but as a creation gift (Genesis 2:2–3) and a covenant sign forever (Exodus 31:16–17).
Jesus and the Sabbath
Far from abolishing the Sabbath, Yeshua kept it perfectly — not to earn righteousness, but because it is the rhythm of His Father’s Kingdom. In Matthew 5:17–19, He makes it clear: He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them — to bring them to their fullness. Hebrews 4:9 reminds us, “There remains, therefore, a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God.”
Misread Passages
Verses like Colossians 2:16–17, Hebrews 8:13, and Ephesians 2:14–15 are often used to argue the Sabbath is obsolete. But in their historical and linguistic context, they speak of man-made barriers, the record of our sins, and the old priestly system — not the eternal commands of God. The “curse of the Law” is the penalty for sin, not the Law itself (Galatians 3:13).
Why This Matters Today
We live in a postmodern Western evangelical culture that often reads the Bible through a lens the original authors would not recognize. This “Western Evangelical Eisegesis” flattens covenant into contract, grace into license, and obedience into legalism. But the biblical pattern is grace first, then Spirit-empowered loyalty.
The Sabbath is not about earning God’s love. It is a joyful response to His love — a weekly rehearsal of the Kingdom and a taste of the eternal rest to come.
Want the full teaching?
In this episode of True Word, Faith for LIFE!, (3 PM EDT) I walk verse-by-verse through the most cited “anti-Sabbath” passages, unpack their Ancient Near Eastern context, and show how Shabbat fits perfectly with the New Covenant in Messiah.
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Shabbat, Sabbath, Sabbath keeping, sabbatismos, covenant, Torah, grace, Jesus, Yeshua, Colossians 2, Hebrews 4, Hebrews 8, Ephesians 2, Acts 15, Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, Romans 7, Romans 8, biblical context, Hebraic worldview, ANE context, Dr. Shawn Michael Greener, True Word Faith for LIFE, legalism, curse of the law
Shalom b’Shem Yeshua
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Shawn M. Greener, MTh., D.I.S., DPTh.
Author / Host / Theologian
I am just a beggar who found Bread, helping other hungry beggars to find Him too. My life has certainly been complex and I and my halo has many dents. Heschel said; "Something Sacred hangs in the balance of every moment." I live like it. I teach like it.
As a person who survived a fatal 92 mph vs 51 mph head on crash, after dying and re-animating, and surviving several other brushes with death, my perspective is, let's say, unique. I haven't always been a theologian and I'm living REAL life, just like you... I have my hurts, habits and hangups too.
I've learned a few very important things along the way that I'm confident you'll find useful... butter for the Gluten free Bread so to speak.. Oh, you may chuckle or full on snort along the way, but you might also shed a few tears... Faith for LIFE... That's how it happens.
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