I recently received this question and wanted to share my answer here.
Short Answer: No, You Are Not in Sin!
If you work in healthcare on Sundays, you are not violating God’s command to observe the Sabbath. The Bible itself provides strong support for this, particularly in Matthew 12:11–12, where Jesus says:
“Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
In other words, doing good—especially preserving life—is completely lawful on the Sabbath.
Now, let’s explore this in more detail.
The Point of the Sabbath: Sustaining Life
One of the major overarching themes of the creation story is the generation and sustaining of life. God creates and the creation is teeming with life. He creates light first because there is no life without light. He brings life to lifelessness (the primordial state was “empty and void [of life]”). He brings order to the chaos because order is what sustains life.
When God finishes His work of creation, He is pleased with it because it produces and sustains life (Genesis 1:31).
So where does the Sabbath fit into this?
The Sabbath is essential to this theme of life because rest is required to sustain life. The creation cycle is incomplete without rest because life cannot be properly sustained without balancing work with rest. The Sabbath protects life by guarding humanity against being absorbed in work.
Thus, the Sabbath is about life, not just rest!
Jesus and the Sabbath: Work That Sustains Life Is Justified
Jesus understood this about the Sabbath, which is why he acknowledges that there were certain jobs/roles/responsibilities in society that simply required individuals (or groups of individuals) to work on the Sabbath.
In Luke 14:5 Jesus rhetorically asks, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”
And, as already mentioned above, Jesus says in Matthew 12:11–12, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a put on the Sabbath, will not take a hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more valued is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
If the whole point of the Sabbath is the generation and preservation of life, and working in healthcare is precisely aimed at that end, then it’s okay to work on the Sabbath.
Even God Works on the Sabbath
Jesus’ Jewish audience understood that God Himself continues working on the Sabbath. John 5:16–17 says, “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.’”
Here, Jesus makes a crucial theological point: If God completely stopped working, the world would cease to exist. Furthermore, He sustains creation even on the Sabbath.
If a woman goes into labor on the Sabbath, is she sinning? Of course not! Life is being brought into the world.
Jesus also pointed out that the priests in the temple had to work on the Sabbath, yet they were not guilty of breaking it: “Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?” (Matt. 12:5)
In other words, some roles require work, and that work is not a violation of God’s law.
Healthcare Work Is in Line with the Purpose of the Sabbath
The whole point of the Sabbath is to protect and sustain life. Since healthcare work is precisely aimed at preserving life, it aligns with the very essence of the Sabbath command.
Thus, working in healthcare on a Sunday (or a designated Sabbath day) is not a sin.
You’re Still Commanded to Sabbath—Find Another Day!
While some roles require work on the Sabbath, that does not mean Sabbath rest is unnecessary. Even if you must work on Sunday, you should still set aside a regular time to rest and worship. This might mean choosing another day for your Sabbath.
The ideal Sabbath observance is Sunday (see my other post on why Sunday, not Saturday, is the New Covenant Sabbath). Corporate worship is more than just “going to church”—it is a sacrament that serves as an eschatological public witness of faith in Christ.
The mandate of corporate worship is precisely why the Church has historically provided alternative times for communion and worship for those unable to attend on Sundays.
If it is absolutely impossible to gather with the church on Sunday due to work, there is grace. God knows your circumstances and provides for those who genuinely cannot observe the Sabbath in the usual way.
Final Thoughts
- The Sabbath is about sustaining life, not legalistic rest.
- Jesus affirmed that some roles—such as healthcare—require work on the Sabbath.
- Even God continues working on the Sabbath by sustaining creation.
- Priests worked on the Sabbath and were guiltless, demonstrating that necessary work is permitted.
- If you must work on Sunday, you should still set aside another day to rest and worship.
So, if you are a healthcare worker serving on Sundays, you are not violating God’s command—you are actually living out the heart of the Sabbath by preserving life.
However, remember that God still calls you to Sabbath rest, even if you must observe it on a different day.
Rest in Christ, worship Him, and serve others—that is the essence of the Sabbath.
