Bible Question: Sabbath - Saturday vs Sunday. In general, most people agree that the Sabbath mentioned throughout the old and new testament is actually Saturday. The fourth commandment tells us to keep the Sabbath day holy. I understand that Sunday is referred to the Lord's Day in recognition of the resurrection. My question is when did the shift happen from worshipping on the Sabbath to worshipping on the Lord's Day? Is it specifically mentioned in the Bible somewhere? Is it recorded in secular history anywhere? Thanks in advance for your responses. |
Bible Answer: In the old testament Jews (not Gentiles) kept the 7th day as a day of rest (the word sabbath literally means - rest). After God rested on the 7th day there is no further reference to anyone keeping the 7th or any other day as a day of rest until Exodus 16. No Manna would fall on the 7th day and the extra they collected on the 6th would not go bad on the following day. Having introduced the idea of a day of rest God made a covenant with Israel that incorparated a sabbath. Read Deut 5:1-22. Notice in verse 2 and 3 " The Lord our God made a covenant WITH US in Horeb (Sinai). The Lord made NOT this covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are here alive today". Verse 12-15 gives the 4th commandment and the reason for this in verse 15. "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: THEREFORE the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day". This would only make the sabbath of significance to Israelites. The law of the sabbath was part of the covenant made by God to Israel through Moses as mediator. Many years later the remnant of Israel having returned to their promised land were reminded of this event by Nehemiah. Nehemiah 9:13-14 "Thou (God) camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgements, and true laws, good statutes and commandments; And madeth known unto THEM thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant". In the N.T. nine of the ten commandments are repeated and become part of the new covenant made between God and all his people through Jesus as mediator, cp Heb 8 (esp vss 6-13) (Jer 31:31-34) When a problem arose in the church at Antioch about Gentiles Christian being circumcised and keeping the law of Moses (see Acts 15:1-5) it was taken to Jerusalem for settling. James sums up and suggests a letter is written giving their judgement of the matter, Acts 15:13-22. The letter is recorded in verses 23-29 and it is worth noting that this is the decision of the Holy Spirit, v28. "That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, ...". Not one word about keeping the sabbath, which if it is as important as many say it is seems very strange indeed. This will explain Col 2:10-17, and in particular making judgement in respect of the sabbath. The first day of the week becomes important as a day of remembrance for the Christian because this was the day on which Christ rose from the dead. Jesus instituted a simple remembrance of this, and Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of this in 1 Cor 11:23-26. In 1 Cor 16:1-2 we learn that it was on the first day of the week that the church gathered together. Acts 20:7 confirms this for us. The church in Troas gathered on the first day of the week, to "break bread" (see Acts 2:42) and gave Paul an opportunity to preach. Clearly they gathered late in the day, but which day? Was it the Jewish day (6pm Friday to 6pm Saturday) or the Gentile day (midnight to midnight)? Note two things: Paul was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem v16, yet spent 7 days in Troas, why? That the first day of the week was very important to Christians. Paul was intending to depart the next day, v7. If they met on Saturday night, as some suggest, then the next morning would still be the same day in Jewish timing. If they were on Gentile time, (it was a Gentile city) then if they met on Sunday evening the next morning would be Monday, the next day. The first day of the week didn't become a rest day until 313 AD by decree of a Roman Caesar not God. The first day of the week would have been a working day which would explain Eutychus falling into a deep sleep etc, v9. Finally, note that they came together to break bread, Paul preached, and after the incident with Eutychus they again break bread, this time eating food, v11. Let me very briefly sum up. The 7th day was part of a covenant made between God and the nation of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. There is no evidence that the 7th day sabbath was given to anyone before Sinai. No other nation had this command. The sabbath was a day of remembrance. The first day of week is the day of remembrance for Christians of all nations. It is not called a sabbath (rest) day, but there is a simple feast to keep on that day in memory of Jesus. I hope this will help those who are studying what God's word says on this subject. |