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: Greetings tranard! We should worship on Sunday, the "Lord's day." Although the moral principles expressed in the Ten Commandments are reaffirmed in the NT, the command to set Saturday apart as a day of rest and worship is the only commandment not repeated. There are very good reasons for this. 1. New Testament believers are not under the Old Testament law (Romans 6:14; Galatians 3:24,25; Hebrews 7:12). 2. Jesus resurrected and appeared to some of His followers on the first day of the week (Sunday) (Matthew 28:1). 3. Jesus continued His appearances on succeeding Sundays (John 20:19,26). 4. The descent of the Holy Spirit took place on a Sunday (Acts 2:1). 5. The early church was thus given the pattern of Sunday worship, and this they continued to do regularly (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). 6. Sunday worship was further hallowed by our Lord who appeared to John in that last great vision on "the Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10). 7. Finally, in Colossians 2:16 we read, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." (NIV) This verse indicates that the distinctive holy days of the Old Testament are no longer binding on New Testament believers. It is for reasons such as these that Christians worship on Sunday, rather than on the Jewish Sabbath. Your Brother in Christ, Nolan |