Is it a sin to rest?

from the old testament

• God demonstrated that rest is good by resting on the seventh day after He created the universe (Genesis 2:2–3). Since God “does not faint or grow weary” (Isaiah 40:28c), His rest was to establish a pattern of work and rest for humanity, not because He was tired.
• God would later command His people, the Israelites, to follow His example: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates” (Exodus 20:8–9). He grounded that command in His pattern of creation (Exodus 20:10–11).
• The Sabbath (the day of rest) was a specific covenantal marker of Israel’s unique relationship with God. Through Moses, God said, “Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you” (Exodus 31:13; cf. 31:16–17). Because it is a sign of the covenant with Israel, believers today do not have the same command. However, the pattern of resting remains, though we have flexibility in when we rest (cf. Romans 14:5–6).
• We tend to want to keep working to produce money and goods, but resting teaches us to depend on God for what we need. An example of this was the Israelites' forty-year wilderness journey. God provided manna every morning except for the Sabbath. He was teaching the people that He is the Provider and that they should trust Him to have enough food, even on days without manna (Exodus 16:22–30; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3). A similar principle applies now. While God provides work, He also desires that we rest and remember that everything we have ultimately comes from Him, not from our work.
• While rest is good, laziness is not. God gave us work before the fall (Genesis 2:15), meaning that work is not a “necessary evil,” but an inherent good. While resting is also good, Scripture condemns those who are lazy and avoid work (Proverbs 6:6–11).

from the new testament

• Though God commanded the Israelites to rest on the Sabbath, He did not intend the ritual to become more important that what was behind it—-rest for our benefit. Jesus affirms this in His reply to the Pharisees who confronted Him about His hungry disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
• Jesus fulfilled the covenantal Sabbath; in Him, we find spiritual rest (Matthew 11:28–30). Those whom Jesus has saved no longer a need to keep striving to please God. The author of Hebrews said, “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9–10). Resting in Jesus is the ultimate expression of trust in God. It means we stop working to save ourselves and trust in Him fully for our salvation.
• Because our relationship with God changed through Jesus, resting on the Sabbath is no longer required but is not sinful. Paul said, “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” (Colossians 2:16–17). Christians are not to judge one another on whether they observe a specific day of rest (Romans 14:5–6). Whether we specifically rest one day a week or not, we must do it (or not do it) to honor God.
• Rest differs from laziness. Christians are to be productive. Paul chided the Thessalonians, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:10–11; cf. Ephesians 4:28). Resting becomes sinful when it’s used as an excuse not to work.

implications for today

We live in a world of extremes. Some people are workaholics; others are idlers. As believers, we are called to balance work and rest. Both work and rest are blessings from God, and we shouldn't abuse either.

If you're having trouble understanding how and when to rest, some guidelines to consider are,

Rest is to recoup from work. Have you been faithfully working (e.g., at a job, home maintenance, school, ministry, caring for children, etc.)? Just resting without working is slothfulness.How are you using your rest? While watching a TV show isn't inherently wrong, consider how you might use your rest to love others and love God. Rest should not exclusively be “me time.”Are you legalistic about your rest time? We all need to rest, but we don’t all need to rest on the same day. We shouldn't rest solely because we're “supposed to.” God wants everything we do to be a joyful worship of Him.Finally, are you anxious while resting? Is your mind filled with quesitons about how you will get tasks completed or pay bills? Stop. Reorient your thinking to focus on who God is. Rest is rest because we trust in God; we know the world won’t stop just because we do. Resting is the way God created us to trust in Him.