The Lord’s Day—The Holy Spirit, not Law - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.
Genesis 2:2-3

The Lord's Day—The Holy Spirit, not Law
The seventh day had a special place given to it by God, and no work was done; God rested on that day. Sad to say, that rest was very soon broken because of man's sin, so that the Lord says in John 5:17, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." In Genesis 2, the rest that we read of is symbolic of eternity—of that rest we find in Hebrews 4:9: "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God." This looks on to eternity when there will be no more labor and toil.

For many years, however, Israel was put under law, which included the responsibility of keeping the Sabbath. Israel did not submit to this but was guilty of violating the Sabbath continually. Now that the Lord Jesus has come and has suffered and died on the cross for the sake of sinners, there is no longer a commandment to keep the Sabbath. We are not under law or commandments, for by faith in the Lord Jesus we have passed from death unto life. We are assured of this in Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." The grace of God has wonderful power to control those who receive it.

"Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread." This is the message of Acts 20:7, and this was not the Sabbath. It is the first day of the week, the resurrection day, which introduces the dispensation of the grace of God. There was no law about this, but the Spirit of God was leading. When the Spirit of God leads, we enjoy a foretaste of the eternal joy we shall share with the Lord Jesus in that coming day for which our hearts are longing.

L. M. Grant