Question 266: What is the Fourth Commandment?

Answer:

The Fourth Commandment is: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” This command teaches us to set apart one day in seven for rest and worship, as God Himself did. It calls us to cease from ordinary work, gather with God’s people, and delight in the Lord, remembering His creation, redemption, and promise of eternal rest. (Exodus 20:8–11, Deuteronomy 5:12–15, Genesis 2:2–3, Isaiah 58:13–14, Hebrews 4:9–10)

Full Scripture References

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” – Exodus 20:8–11 (BSB)

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you… Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” – Deuteronomy 5:12, 15 (BSB)

“By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.” – Genesis 2:2–3 (BSB)

“If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day… then you will delight yourself in the LORD.” – Isaiah 58:13–14 (BSB)

“So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.” – Hebrews 4:9–10 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

The Fourth Commandment teaches that God has built a rhythm of rest and worship into creation, and He calls His people to honor it. Sabbath observance is not simply a rule—it is a gift, rooted in the very nature of God. As Bishop Julian Dobbs (ACNA, Diocese of the Living Word) writes, “God rested not because He was weary, but because He was satisfied. He calls us to Sabbath that we might learn rest in Him—not in our works, but in His.” (Pastoral Letter on the Lord’s Day, 2021)

This commandment teaches both to cease from labor and to engage in worship. Fr. Keith Allen (AMiA, St. Brendan’s Anglican Church, AL) explains, “The Sabbath is not a day off for personal comfort. It is a day consecrated to the Lord—a time to delight in Him with His people.” (Teaching on the Ten Commandments, 2019) Regular worship, Word, prayer, and communion mark the Christian Sabbath, which for most Anglicans is kept on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, in celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

Canon George Grant (ACNA, Parish Presbyterian Church, TN) emphasizes that Sabbath rest is also spiritual formation: “We are not machines. The Fourth Commandment teaches us to stop, to breathe, to remember that God—not our labor—sustains the world.” (Recovering Anglican Piety, 2018)

Historically, the Anglican tradition has upheld the sanctity of Sunday as a “Christian Sabbath.” The 1662 Book of Common Prayer designates Sunday as the primary day for worship and rest, calling the faithful to “hear God’s Word and to offer due praise.” Dr. Ephraim Radner (ACNA, Wycliffe College) notes, “Sabbath rest is a rehearsal for eternity. In stopping, we anticipate the eternal rest promised in Christ.” (A Time to Keep, 2017)

Gerald Bray (ACNA-affiliated, Beeson Divinity School) reminds us, “The Fourth Commandment is not just about law—it’s about love. God made the Sabbath for man. When we neglect it, we are not just breaking a command—we are resisting a blessing.” (God Is Love, 2012)

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

“God does not grow weary, yet He rested. This He did for our instruction—that we might sanctify one day and devote it to spiritual things.” – Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, c. 180 AD

“The Lord’s Day has become our Sabbath, for on it the Redeemer rose, giving us rest from sin and death. We gather not in bondage to the law, but in joy.” – Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians, c. 110 AD

“He who rests from his own works and honors the Lord on His day shows that he belongs to the age to come.” – Origen, Homily on Exodus, c. 240 AD

“Let the Sabbath be to you a delight—not in idleness, but in holiness. In this you imitate the Creator, and look forward to the eternal Sabbath.” – Augustine of Hippo, Sermon on the Lord’s Day, c. 400 AD