Scripture teaches that the Lord's Day is a set time for public worship and spiritual rest, commemorating Christ's resurrection. Reformed traditions hold that the fourth commandment establishes a perpetual moral obligation to dedicate one day in seven to the Lord, though some Lutheran and other traditions view its specific day-observance as an external matter of Christian liberty.
In the Reformed tradition, we understand the Sabbath to be rooted in a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment of God. As noted in the , the shift from the seventh day to the first day—the Lord's Day—marks the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This aligns with the , which emphasizes that this appointment binds all men in all ages to set apart a day for God's worship, honoring the transition from the old creation to the new.
The Lord's Day is not a burden to earn God's favor, but a gracious opportunity to feast upon the finished work of Christ. We are invited into a Sabbath rest that points beyond itself to the final rest we have in Jesus. As Hebrews reminds us, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, and in Christ, we are freed from the bondage of moralism to delight in Him. says: 'There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.'