The Bible explains itself. By Gordon Anderson
Tell me, Jesus, have you appointed a special day of rest for your followers?
I was seized by the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. (Revelation 1:10 L)
What day is the Lord’s day?
[If you hold back your foot on the Sabbath and do not go about your business on my holy day and call the Sabbath “delight” and the LORD’s holy day “honored” … then you will have your delight in the LORD, and I will make you walk on the heights of the earth … (Isaiah 58:13-14)]
And what is your relationship to that day?
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:8 S)
Now the week has seven days. Which of these is the Sabbath day?
The seventh day is the Sabbath to the LORD your God. (Exodus 20:10 E)
And which day of the week is it, Saturday or Sunday?
And they returned and prepared fragrant oils and ointments. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the law. But very early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb, carrying with them the fragrant oils they had prepared. But when they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 23:56 – 24:3 L)
Some say that you abolished the law with your death on Golgotha?
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17 L)
Does “fulfill” mean as much as “abolish”?
Bear one another’s burdens, and you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 L)
If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture [Deuteronomy 19:18]: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. (James 2:8 L)
Lord Jesus, have you perhaps changed one of the Ten Commandments so that today your followers must keep Sunday instead of the seventh day?
For truly I say to you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter nor speck of the law will pass away until it all comes to pass. (Matthew 5:18 L)
But the Sabbath is a Jewish day, isn’t it?
The Sabbath was created for the sake of man. (Mark 2:27 E)
I have at least heard that the Sabbath was no longer observed by your disciples after the crucifixion. Is that true?
And on the Sabbath they rested according to the law. (Luke 23:56 L)
But in remembrance of the resurrection, the disciples have kept Sunday instead of the Sabbath ever since, haven’t they?
Now Paul and those who were with him departed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John separated from them and returned to Jerusalem. And they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down. (Acts 13:13-14 L)
Was this not perhaps a one-off event?
As was Paul’s custom, he went in and spoke to them about the Scriptures on three Sabbaths. (Acts 17:2 L)
It is also conceivable that Paul met with the Jews on the Sabbath and with the Gentiles on Sunday …
But when they went out of the synagogue, the people asked that they speak of these things again on the next Sabbath. And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. (Acts 13:42, 44 L)
Lord Jesus, is there any other evidence that Paul actually kept the Sabbath?
On the Sabbath day we went out outside the city by the river, where we thought it was customary to pray, and we sat down and talked with the women who were gathered there. (Acts 16:13 L)
So does the Bible really tell us that Paul spoke to both the Jews and the Gentiles on the Sabbath?
And he taught in the synagogue on every Sabbath, persuading both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 18:4 L)
Did Paul preach about the Sabbath?
So there still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For he who has entered into his rest has also entered into rest from his works, as God from his own. (Hebrews 4:9-10 E)
When Paul writes that we should rest as God did, does he really mean Saturday?
For this is how he spoke of the seventh day in another passage [Genesis 2:2]: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” (Hebrews 4:4 L)
So how did Sunday observance come to be introduced into Christianity in the first place? If you have not changed God’s law, who has?
He will blaspheme the Most High … and will presume to change the feast days and the law. (Daniel 7:25 L)
Are you telling me that there is a power that thinks it has the right to change God’s law?
Ask the priests about the law. (Haggai 2:11 L)
Stephen Keenan, you are a Roman Catholic priest. Does your church believe it has the right to change God’s law?
“If it didn’t have that power, it couldn’t have done what all modern religious leaders agree with it on: It could not have replaced Saturday, the seventh day, with the celebration of Sunday, the first day of the week – a change for which there is no scriptural authority.”(Doctrinal Catechism, page 174)
When did you make this change?
“We keep Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church in the Council of Laodicea [336 A.D.] transferred the sanctity of Saturday to Sunday.”(Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, page 50)
Do pastors of other churches also say that Sunday observance is not found in the Bible?
“And where in Scripture are we told to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh day; but nowhere are we commanded to keep the first day. We keep the first day of the week holy for the same reason that we keep many other things: not because of the Bible, but because the Church has commanded it.” (Isaac Williams, Anglican Church)
“It is true that there is no explicit commandment for infant baptism; nor is there one for keeping the first day of the week holy. Many believe that the Messiah changed the Sabbath. But from his own words we see that he did not come for such a purpose. Those who believe that Jesus moved the Sabbath base this only on conjecture.” (Amos Binney, Methodist Church)
“There was, and is, a commandment for keeping the Sabbath holy; but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It is quickly said, however, and with some pleasure, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week, with all its duties, rights, and prohibitions. While I am intensively gathering information on this subject, which I have been studying for many years, I ask: Where do you find the basis for such a transfer? Not in the New Testament – absolutely not. There is no biblical evidence for changing the institution of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week.” (E.T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual )
“There is not one word, not one reference in the New Testament that forbids Sunday work. The celebration of Ash Wednesday and Lent are on exactly the same footing with the celebration of Sunday. Sunday rest is not commanded by any divine law.” (Canon Eyton, Anglican Church)
“It is perfectly clear: however strictly or devotedly we keep Sunday, we do not thereby keep the Sabbath … The Sabbath was instituted at a special commandment of God. We can make no such commandment for the celebration of Sunday … There is not a single line in the New Testament which says that we incur any penalty if we transgress the supposed sanctity of Sunday.” (R.W. Dale, Congregationalist Church)
“If one could produce a single passage of Scripture that says that either the Lord Himself or the apostles commanded such a transfer of the Sabbath to Sunday, the question would be easy to answer: Who moved the Sabbath and who has the right to do so?” (George Sverdrup, Lutheran Church)
“The sacred name of the seventh day is the Sabbath. This fact cannot be disputed (Exodus 20:10) … The clear teaching of the Bible on this point has been recognized in all ages … Not once did the disciples apply the 7 Sabbath law to the first day of the week – that folly was reserved for a later time. Nor did they claim that the first day replaced the seventh.” (Judson Taylor, Southern Baptist [largest Protestant church in America])
Lord Jesus, is it really so important which day I keep? Isn’t one day of the week as good as any other?
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey him, his servants ye are, and must be obedient unto him, whether to sin unto death, or to obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16 L)
But I can worship God every day!
Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall do no work on it. (Exodus 20:9-10 L)
And what do you think of my observing Sunday instead of the Sabbath?
In vain do they serve me, because they teach such doctrines as are nothing but commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9 L)
How then do you feel about Sunday observance in general?
You have thus made void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (Matthew 15:6 E)
But then millions of Christians who keep Sunday would be on the wrong track.
The gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to perdition, and there are many who go in by it. (Matthew 7:13 L)
If the seventh day is really the Sabbath, how is it that the famous evangelists, preachers and church leaders all fail to keep it?
Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty men, not many honorable men are called. But God has chosen what is foolish in the sight of the world to confound the wise, and what is weak in the sight of the world God has chosen to confound the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:26-27 L)
Lord Jesus, I have accepted you as my personal Savior. I know that you have accepted me and I have always kept Sunday. Will I be lost if I continue to keep Sunday?
It is true that God has overlooked the time of ignorance, but now he commands people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30 L)
So you would reject me just because I keep Sunday?
He who says, ‘I know him,’ and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4 L)
But what if I love God and my neighbor?
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1 John 5:3 L)
So does that mean I have to keep all ten?
For if anyone keeps the whole law and sins against one commandment, he is guilty of the whole law. For he who said [Exodus 20:13, 14], “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not kill.” Therefore if you do not commit adultery but kill, you are a transgressor of the law. (James 2:10-11 L)
Did you actually keep the Sabbath yourself, Lord Jesus?
And he came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and according to his custom went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. (Luke 4:16 L)
But that was almost 2000 years ago. If you lived among us today, wouldn’t you go to church on Sunday?
Jesus Christ yesterday and today and the same for ever. (Hebrews 13:8 L) For I, the LORD, have not changed. (Malachi 3:6 E)
So again: does that mean I won’t go to heaven if I don’t keep the Sabbath?
But if you want to enter life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:17 L)
I still don’t really understand why this day of all days is so important!
And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. (Genesis 2:3 L) He has blessed, and I cannot turn it around. (Deuteronomy 23:20 L) For what you bless, O LORD, is blessed forever. (1 Chronicles 17:27 L)
Nevertheless, my gut feeling tells me: the main thing is that you have a weekly day of rest.
To some a way seems right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16:25 L)
My Lord! It is so difficult to keep the Sabbath. I have accepted you as my Savior. Won’t that get me to heaven?
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:21 L)
But I say my prayers.
He who turns away his ear from hearing instruction, his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9 L)
I attend a Sunday-keeping church. There I have experienced miraculous healings and other gifts of the Spirit. Surely these believers can’t all be on the wrong path?
Many will say to me in that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not cast out evil spirits in your name? Did we not perform many miracles in your name? Then I will confess to them: I have never known you; depart from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:22-23 L)
Good, I now understand that the seventh day is the Sabbath. But what if I lose my job because I no longer work on the Sabbath?
For what would it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world and lose his soul? (Mark 8:36 L) I have to take care of my family. What will happen to them if I lose my job? Therefore you should not worry and say: What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we clothe ourselves with? … For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33 L)
If I keep the Sabbath, my friends will think I’ve gone mad.
Blessed are you when people revile you for my sake … and speak all kinds of evil against you when they lie about it. Rejoice and be glad; you will be richly rewarded in heaven. (Matthew 5:11-12 L)
And what do I do if my family doesn’t want to walk this path with me? In the worst case scenario, this could destroy my marriage.
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37-38 L)
Lord Jesus, I don’t think I can handle all the problems that will come my way if I start keeping the Sabbath.
Let my grace be sufficient for you, for my power is mighty in the weak. (2 Corinthians 12:9 L)
So you are freely telling me that I will only go to heaven if I keep the Sabbath?
Blessed are those who keep his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14 S)
Will we also keep the Sabbath there?
For as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure in my sight, says the LORD, so shall your generation and your name endure. And all flesh will come one new moon after another and one Sabbath after another to worship before me, declares the LORD. (Isaiah 66:22-23 L)
Then let God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. With God’s help I will keep the Sabbath.
Rightly so, you diligent and faithful servant! (Matthew 25:21 L)
Sunday in the New Testament
The Bible does not use the word Sunday at all, just as the biblical writers did not use any of the names we use for the days of the week today. The days of the week were simply given a number. Sunday = first day, Monday = second day, etc. The only exceptions were Friday and Saturday. Friday was called the preparation day (Luke 23:54) and the seventh day was called the Sabbath. [Even today we still find this counting of the days of the week in some languages, e.g. Hebrew, Arabic, Portuguese, Greek and Persian].
The first day of the week is only mentioned nine times in the entire Bible.
- The first mention is at creation. (Genesis 1:5)
- The second time Sunday is mentioned is in Matthew 28:1, where it is reported how the women came to Jesus’ tomb after the Sabbath, early on Sunday morning.
- In Mark 16:1-2, exactly the same scene is described as in Matthew 28:1.
- Mark 16:9 tells how Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on the first day of the week after his resurrection.
- Like the verses from Matthew and Mark, Luke 24:1 also reports that women came to Christ’s tomb very early on the morning of the first day of the week.
- John 20:1 describes how Mary Magdalene visited the tomb of Jesus on the first day of the week.
- John 20:19 tells of the same evening when the disciples gathered in the upper room. Some have referred to this meeting as the first Sunday service in remembrance of the resurrection. Several compelling reasons make it clear that this is not the case. John says that the disciples had gathered “for fear of the Jews”. So that was the reason for their gathering. Luke 24:33-48 reports the same meeting. Luke’s account clearly shows that the disciples were by no means convinced that Jesus had risen. When he appeared to them, they were very frightened because they thought he was a ghost. (Luke 24:37)
- The eighth mention of the first day of the week is found in Acts 20:7-12. This is the only time in the entire Bible that a church service is described as taking place on Sunday. In biblical times, a day began and ended in the evening at sunset (Luke 23:54). So the first day of the week actually began at what we would now call Saturday evening. Paul wanted to travel to Assos the next morning – we would call it Sunday morning. So the evening before, the church of Troas decided to hold a farewell communion service. Paul preached throughout the night (verse 11). After breakfast on Sunday morning, the group of missionaries set off. Most of the group sailed to Assos, but Paul spent his Sunday walking 30-50 km from one city to another. There is no indication here that Paul would have kept Sunday holy. Likewise, Luke, who reports on this event, simply calls Sunday the first day of the week.
- The last time Sunday is mentioned is in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. A few casual readers have mistaken these verses for a description of a Sunday service at which gifts were collected. But let’s read what Paul actually wrote: “As for the collection for the saints, as I have commanded in the churches of Galatia, so you also should do. On the first day of every week, each of you set aside a little for yourselves and collect as much as you can, so that the collection will not wait until I come.” When I set aside some money, I certainly don’t throw it into the collection basket at the same time. If I put something aside, I am still at home because that is where I would keep money. What Paul is saying to the Corinthians is quite simple: your brothers and sisters in Jerusalem are very poor. Followers of Jesus should help each other. At the beginning of the week, before you do anything else, set aside a little money for the poor brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. Then when I come, you won’t have to frantically search for some money to put in the basket, because you will have put some aside every week for this very purpose. Again, Paul does not use a special name for Sunday. He simply uses the normal name for the day. Sunday was an ordinary day for Paul and the early Christians.
The first day of the week is therefore not called holy in any of the nine passages. There is also no indication that God set it aside as a special day of worship for Christians.
Two more verses are interesting:
In Revelation 1:10, John writes: “I was seized by the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”
Since Sunday is referred to as the Lord’s Day by many Sunday-keepers today, it is thought that John also meant it around 1900 years ago. The untenability of this argument becomes clear from a similar example: in Presbyterian churches it was customary to call Sunday the Sabbath day. Applying the same principle, this would mean that whenever the word Sabbath appears in the Bible, we should understand it to mean Sunday. No one would agree with this.
To prove that John meant Sunday by the “Lord’s Day” would require finding a document written before Revelation or around the same time that calls Sunday Lord’s Day. Such a document does not exist. Sunday is first called Lord’s Day in a forged document written about 75 years later called the Gospel of Peter. It was written over a century after the death of Peter with the intention of deceiving people into believing that its author was Peter the Apostle. At that time, many people forged documents in an attempt to prove that the apostles had already believed and taught their false teachings.
Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5 show which day Jesus himself called the day of the Lord.
“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (E)
Some quote Colossians 2:16 to show that the Sabbath was abolished. But they fail to cite verse 17, which completes the sentence.
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an appointed feast, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come.” (Colossians 2:16, 17 E)
Paul repeats here the great principle laid down by Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2. In the early church, many followers of Jesus continued to keep the temple feasts, even though the teachings they were meant to convey were fulfilled and revealed more clearly in Jesus’ ministry. Some recognized that these commandments were no longer binding and criticized those who continued to worship in the way their ancestors had done. Paul condemned this criticism and recommended that each person be allowed to make their own decision. In Romans 14:1-8, Paul deals with the same issue and brings the same principle to bear.
Keep in mind, however, that Paul was not talking about the weekly Sabbath in Colossians. He was talking about the Sabbath days, “which are a shadow of things to come.” The weekly Sabbath was a memorial of God’s creative work. Like any memorial, it pointed back to creation, not forward to the Messiah.
During a Jewish year, however, there were numerous Sabbath days that were “a shadow of things to come” (they are listed in Leviticus 23:4-44). These ceremonial Sabbath days were associated with the Passover and other festivals that pointed to Jesus’ future ministry (1 Corinthians 5:7). Followers of Jesus no longer need to observe these special Sabbath days; instead, we should partake of our Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Jesus’ death “until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Original title: A Talk with the Lord about the Sabbath, First published by: Truth for Today, Narborough, UK, Translation: Michael Göbel, Linguistic editing: Edward Rosenthal, Editorial editing: Kai Mester
Source: hoffnung-weltweit.info
