The Perpetual Obligation of the Sabbath: A Response to Jim Richardson (Part 2)

The Sabbath and Literal Six Day Creation

From what I can gather from his post on Thy Word is Truth, Mr. Richardson (please correct me if I am wrong) would appear to subscribe to the “Framework Hypothesis” view of creation. Consequently, he concludes that the seventh day of creation “is the same ‘day’ mentioned in Hebrews 3:7-4:13 where the writer treats at length the concept of rest from the Hebrew Scriptures in a typological way to emphasize present salvation and future heavenly rest.” Moreover, in relation to this he states “The specific reference is to the seventh day of creation of Genesis 2:2-3. God’s creation rest is interpreted typologically as referring to the present salvation rest. Be advised that if one is to interpret the six days of creation as literal 24 hour periods then one must also interpret an omnipotent God as One who requires ‘rest’ from His creational work.”

Furthermore, he comments that “if He were to rest, then that universe would cease to exist. It’s also important to note that God did not begin creating again the following Sunday after His ‘day of rest’, therefore it would be correct to assume that His rest was and is permanent.” While this argument is well thought out, there are a number of problems with it when examined in light of the the rest of Scripture. Mr. Richardson rightly says “any passage of Scripture must be clarified with all other available inspired Scripture (i.e. the Bible) before any dogmatic conclusions can begin to be drawn.” Therefore, let us turn to the Bible to find out whether or not a literal six-day creation approach is tenable.

When the Sabbath command was given in the Decalogue we read “Six days you shall labour, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God” (Ex. 20:9). What was the rationale behind this command to keep one 24 hour day holy to the Lord? “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex. 20:11). Consequently, if we do not interpret the days in Genesis 1-2:3 as being literal, then we cannot assume that the days spoken of in Exodus 20 were literal 24 hour days either. Thus, on the basis not only of a solid exegesis of Genesis 1-2:3 itself (note the use of ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ in relation to the days of creation) but as a result of interpreting Scripture with Scripture, we must conclude that the days in the creation account were literal 24 hour days.

Clearly then, the week of creation was designed to be a divinely established pattern for men made in the image of God: namely, six literal days of labour, one day of rest. This is not to be a rest of inactivity, as God was not inactive as He continued to uphold the universe, but of holy pursuits outside our ordinary affairs. Moreover, when we celebrate the Sabbath on the first day of the week, in addition to remembering God’s work of creation, we remember Christ’s resurrection and the completion of His work of redemption which purchased our eternal rest, and to the new heavens and new earth where we will spend an eternal Sabbath with the Lord our God.

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