For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Does God work on the Sabbath?
Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes shows a Bible contradiction:
No, even God has to rest sometimes.
“By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3)
Yes. Jesus and his dad always work on the Sabbath.
“For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” (John 5:16-17)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- It is always important to remember the context of what is going on with the verses cited by the skeptics. In Genesis 2:2-3 it is part of the narrative of God’s creation. In John 5:16-17 what was taking place is Jesus have just healed a man and the religious leaders were upset that He healed during the Sabbath. Jesus’ response in verses 17 hint that He Himself and also God the Father was working even during the Sabbath.
- Understanding the context of both passages we see that there is not a contradiction since there are two different sense of what God is resting from.
- In Genesis 2:2-3 God is resting from His work of creating the world. The specific rest from God’s creative act is explicitly mentioned. Note the beginning of verse 2: “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done.” The seventh day is contrast with the first six days in which God created the world. Again don’t miss the passage’s emphasis that God was resting from creating the world. That is, God was ceasing His special creative work. The second half of verse 2 repetitiously states: “He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” Genesis 2:3 then tells us that God blessed the seventh day because of the following reason: “because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” For the third time in just two verses it is stated that God rested from creating and making new creatures and creation.
- Nowhere does John 5:16-17 and its context talk about God’s work of special creation.
- Instead John 5:16-17 is talking about Jesus’ work of miraculous healing. Jesus and God the Father were not resting from that work during the Sabbath since obviously miraculous healings were happening during the Sabbath and the enemies of Jesus couldn’t deny it either.
- It is not a contradiction to say that God can rest from His special act of creation of everything while at the same time God is not resting with His other roles and functions such as miraculous healing during the Sabbath.
- Remember Jesus Himself is the Second Person of the Trinity. Which means Jesus is also God. There’s another sense we can understand how God’s work continues even as He rest from special creation from understanding more of what Jesus does.
- Speaking of Jesus Colossians 1:17 states “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Here we learn that Jesus is the one who providentially sustains all things. This work of Jesus of course has not ceased; otherwise we would be no more. Thus while Jesus as God means He is also Creator as taught in Colossians 1:16 nevertheless Jesus has not ceased His work in His role as Providential Sustainer of all things.
- Thus we see yet another way from the example of God the Son of how God can rest and cease working in one sense while not resting and ceasing in another sense. This further makes the point that we don’t have a contradiction here as the skeptic would want us to think.
Again no contradiction here. I hope our response in this post would put to rest this alleged Bible contradiction advocated by the Skeptic Annotated Bible.
Thanks, Jim. This “contradiction” from Mr. Skeptic doesn’t even reach the category of intellectual laziness, but I suppose he had some pages to fill.
Seriously. This one is more of a filler than something of substance. I do think the Skeptic Annotated Bible just wanted to have more contradictions added as an extra page on their website; kind of like the extra pages for the deluxe edition of Legion of Super-Heroes but that would be an insult to Legion of Super-Heroes since those pages of comic books had more substance that this contradiction right?
LOL! That’s very funny because when I wrote my comment, I was thinking about how Adam West’s Batman used to regularly make ridiculously detailed extrapolative deductions based upon some small obtuse clue.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog!
Yankee Whiskey Bravo
I can tell you quickly, God does not work at all in the common sense usage of the word work. God did His so-called work in one flash of a second when He creates all the tiniest energy particles that make up our universe. He instilled in each His Will (Holy Spirit) to make and keep each perfect. If one wants to consider that work, then we could say God’s work never ceases. Since God exists in Eternity where there is no time, there is, of course no Sunday. That basic idea is a complete contradiction of sound philosophy and logic.
Great…thanks much!
You’re welcome! If you can pray that God would use this post to answer those who might be searching for answers online!
My blessing… thanks!
The way I understand this is, the context of Genesis 2:3 is much the same as a lawyer “Resting his case,” meaning he had presented all facts relevant to the case. Genesis 2:3 is not implying that the seventh day was a day where God said, “I’m wore out. Call me in the morning.” It was Him bringing to completion that which He had made.
Wow that’s a good analogy Patrick with a lawyer resting his case. That fits very well here! This is where apologetics is best done as a joint venture of the brethren as we need each other’s God-given wisdom, Amen?
Patrick is so funny
[…] Does God work on the Sabbath? […]
[…] Does God work on the Sabbath? […]
Steve Wells does such a bad job he should take a permanent “Sabbath” from digging up so-called Bible contradictions.
God also don’t work like we do, God work by Decree and speaking
Thoughtful thanks!
This is a stupid question from the atheists
Some might legitimately ask about this
[…] Does God work on the Sabbath? […]
This answer shows why good theology actually matters in apologetics. You got to show accurately from the BIble that there’s not a contradiction.
I enjoy your sound insight into these scriptures. The skeptic on the other hand seems to be displaying intellectual laziness when reading the Bible
Thank you for the good work you have done here. Does the author of Skeptic Annotated Bible know how to read for comprehension?
This is not a contradiction in the Bible but only in the mind of people with an ax to grind. Some unbelievers will find a contradiction any stupid way that they can, breaking all the sound rules of interpretation.
Imagine a skeptic saying this joke is the reason to turn away from Jesus but then appear before God giving this excuse…
Punchy ending! Good points throughout too
I’m reading this on my Sabbath
I love it when atheists gets cornered when they get their errors exposed. They don’t own up to it. They even double down and look more foolish. Finally they change the subject, hardcore Whataboutism
Wonderful resource answering skeptics. There’s a lot of these posts on your site thank you
I can’t take atheists seriously for things like this