Ever wondered why most Christians don’t observe the Passover, the Day of Atonement, or other Jewish festivals? Given the growing interest in Hebrew roots movements even well-meaning believers ask, “Shouldn’t we follow the whole Bible?”

The answer lies in understanding how Christ’s coming has changed everything. His coming hasn’t nullified God’s law but perfectly fulfilled it.

 

UNDERSTANDING OLD TESTAMENT LAW: THREE CATEGORIES

The Old Testament contains three distinct types of law:

• Moral Law: The Ten Commandments and their applications, reflecting God’s unchanging character. These remain binding on all people for all time.
• Civil Law: The governmental regulations for ancient Israel as a theocratic nation. These expired when Israel’s unique political structure ended.
• Ceremonial Law: The religious rituals, festivals, and sacrificial system. This is where Old Testament holy days belong.

The holy days—Passover, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, and others—were ceremonial, not moral. They weren’t expressions of timeless ethical principles but specific religious observances designed for a particular purpose in salvation history.

 

CHRIST: THE FULFILLMENT, NOT THE DESTROYER

Jesus declared in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.” This is the key to understanding why Christians don’t observe Old Testament holy days.

Christ didn’t destroy these observances—He fulfilled them completely. He became our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), the ultimate sacrifice that makes all other sacrifices unnecessary. He entered the true Holy of Holies in heaven (Hebrews 9:11-12), making the earthly temple ceremonies obsolete. He became our Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-10), the eternal peace our souls were seeking.

When the substance arrives, the shadow is no longer needed. The Old Testament festivals were beautiful pictures pointing forward to Christ’s work. Now that He has come and accomplished our redemption, continuing to observe these ceremonies would be like insisting on looking at a photograph when the person is standing right next to us.

 

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT CHRISTIAN FREEDOM

Several key passages make this principle clear:

Colossians 2:16-17 is perhaps the most direct: “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

Paul warns the Galatians against returning to “weak and worthless elementary principles” after coming to know Christ (Galatians 4:9-11). His concern wasn’t academic—he feared they were falling back into a works-based relationship with God.

Romans 14:5-6: Paul here establishes the principle of Christian liberty regarding special days: “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 provides historical precedent. When deciding what requirements to place on Gentile converts, they specifically chose not to burden them with ceremonial law observances.

 

WHAT CHRISTIANS DO CELEBRATE

This doesn’t mean Christians have no calendar at all. We celebrate:

• The Lord’s Day: The Christian Sabbath, commemorating Christ’s resurrection and our rest in His finished work.
• Christmas: The Incarnation, when God became man to save us.
• Easter: The Resurrection, the cornerstone of our faith.
• Pentecost: Often overlooked, but celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

Notice the difference: Old Testament holy days looked forward to a coming Messiah. Christian celebrations look back to an accomplished redemption. We celebrate what Christ has done, not what He might do.

 

ANSWERING COMMON OBJECTIONS

1. “But God called these ‘everlasting’ statutes!” The Hebrew word ‘olam’ means “age-lasting” rather than “eternally unchanging.” These statutes lasted for their appointed age—until Christ came to fulfil them. When the age of anticipation ended, the age of fulfillment was ushered in.
2. “Jesus observed them, so shouldn’t we?” Jesus lived under the law to fulfil it perfectly on our behalf (Galatians 4:4-5). He observed these festivals because He was born under the ceremonial law and needed to keep it completely. We benefit from His perfect obedience—we don’t need to repeat it.
3. “Paul observed them in Acts!” Paul’s occasional observance of Jewish customs was strategic accommodation for evangelism, not theological requirement. He became “all things to all people” to win some (1 Corinthians 9:22), but he never taught that Gentile Christians needed to observe these festivals.

 

OLD TESTAMENT HOLY DAYS: THE DANGER OF MISSING THE POINT

The real danger isn’t in observing or not observing certain days—it’s in missing what those days were pointing to. When we focus on the shadow instead of the substance, we risk falling into the same trap the Galatians did: adding human works to God’s finished work in Christ.

Paul’s warning in Galatians is sobering: those who try to be justified by law are “severed from Christ” and have “fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). This doesn’t mean observing Old Testament festivals damns anyone, but it does mean we must be careful not to treat them as necessary for our relationship with God.

 

CONCLUSION: OLD TESTAMENT HOLY DAYS

The ultimate answer to why Christians don’t celebrate Old Testament holy days is simple: we have something better. We don’t need shadows when we have the reality. We don’t need pictures when we have the Person.

Christ Himself is our Passover, our Day of Atonement, our Sabbath rest. In Him, we live in the eternal celebration of salvation accomplished. Every day is holy because every day we rest in His finished work.

The ceremonial law served its purpose beautifully—it pointed people to Christ. Now that He has come, we worship not through ancient ceremonies but through the ongoing celebration of His death, resurrection, and eternal reign. This is the heart of Christian worship: not observing shadows, but rejoicing in the substance of our salvation.

 

OLD TESTAMENT HOLY DAYS: RELATED FAQs

Did the early church fathers celebrate any Old Testament festivals? The early church fathers generally avoided Old Testament festivals, viewing them as fulfilled in Christ. John Chrysostom specifically warned against Judaizing practices, while Augustine argued Christians who observed Jewish festivals were “carnal” in their understanding. However, some early Christians did observe the Passover (called Pascha) until the Council of Nicaea established Easter’s timing independently from Jewish calendar calculations.

• What did John Calvin specifically teach about Old Testament holy days? Calvin taught the ceremonial law, including festivals, was a “schoolmaster” that served its purpose until Christ came. In his Institutes, he argued continuing to observe these festivals after Christ’s fulfillment would be like “preferring the shadow to the substance.” Calvin distinguished this from the moral law (Ten Commandments) which remains perpetually binding, demonstrating his commitment to the threefold division of law.
• How do Reformed scholars view the “Christian Sabbath” differently from Saturday Sabbath observance? Reformed theology sees the Christian Sabbath (Sunday) as a creation ordinance updated rather than a ceremonial law fulfilled. Westminster Confession states that God designated “9one day in seven” for worship, which transferred from Saturday to Sunday to commemorate Christ’s resurrection. This differs from Seventh-day Adventists who maintain Saturday observance, as Reformed scholars argue the specific day was ceremonial while the principle of regular rest and worship is moral.

What about Christians who observe Old Testament festivals for educational or cultural reasons? Reformed scholars generally permit this under Christian liberty, provided it’s not viewed as necessary for salvation or sanctification. RC Sproul taught studying these festivals can deepen our understanding of Christ’s fulfillment, but we must avoid the “Galatian error” of adding law to gospel. The key distinction is between educational appreciation and religious obligation.

• How do Reformed theologians interpret the “perpetual covenant” language around festivals like Passover? Reformed exegetes understand “perpetual” (olam in Hebrew) as “age-lasting” rather than eternally unchanging. Charles Hodge explained that these covenants were perpetual within their dispensational context but fulfilled when Christ inaugurated the new covenant. The substance continues eternally (our redemption) while the ceremonial form was temporary, pointing forward to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.
• What’s the Reformed position on Messianic Judaism and dual-covenant theology? Reformed theology firmly rejects dual-covenant theology, which suggests Jewish believers should maintain Old Testament observances while Gentiles follow a different path. John MacArthur and other Reformed teachers argue this contradicts Galatians’ teaching about “one gospel” for all people. While Messianic Jewish cultural expression isn’t necessarily wrong, making ceremonial law observance normative for Jewish Christians contradicts the unity of the body of Christ.

How do Reformed scholars address the claim that ignoring Old Testament festivals leads to anti-Semitism? Reformed theologians distinguish between respecting Jewish heritage and requiring ceremonial law observance. Sinclair Ferguson notes properly understanding fulfillment theology actually honours Jewish history by showing how their festivals pointed to the Messiah they awaited. The Reformed position isn’t anti-Jewish but rather claims that the greatest honour we can give to Old Testament festivals is recognising their successful completion in Christ, making continued observance unnecessary rather than forbidden.

 

OLD TESTAMENT HOLY DAYS: OUR RELATED POSTS

• Jesus in the Jewish Festivals: From Shadow to Substance
• Before or During Passover: When Was Jesus Really Crucified?
• The Passover Connection: Why Jesus’ Legs Weren’t Broken